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At a Monday ribbon cutting in South Amboy, local, state and federal officials joined with other community stakeholders to officially mark the launch of ferry service from South Amboy to Manhattan.

The route began operations Monday at 5:45 a.m. from the NY Waterway South Amboy Ferry Terminal on Radford Ferry Road. Service on the new line travels to downtown (Brookfield Place/Battery Park City) and midtown Manhattan (Pier 79 on West 39th Street).

The terminal offers weekday morning and afternoon service – touting a fast, comfortable and reliable ride along with free parking; easy South Amboy rail connections; complementary shuttles; contactless ticketing and boarding; free transfers to Weekhawken, Hoboken and Jersey City; and available on-board refreshments.

A one-way adult ticket into Manhattan is $18 and $17 for seniors, while kids under 12 ride free. The trip to Manhattan is just about an hour. More details on the service, pricing and schedule is available here.

The ferry is expected to service more than 1,000 daily riders during the week and eventually some 250 daily weekend riders, with an annual estimated ridership of more than 250,000. Officials say the route will greatly lower daily commuter traffic congestion between Central Jersey and Manhattan.

Service is beginning from a temporary terminal while a permanent $30 million facility is completed. Officials say the new depot, which will be about 100 yards away from the temporary site, is slated to debut in 2025.

26 years in the making

As he opened his remarks during the ribbon cutting, South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry reflected on the long road to bring this project to fruition.

“It has taken us 26 years for this to happen,” said Henry. “And these are very exciting days for us that we celebrate today.”

He ticked through a number of the challenges and hurdles along the way – from remediation to cleanup, permitting, funding and more.

“We have finally realized our dream of launching a ferry service to New York City,” said Henry. “If all goes well in the next 18 months, we will be having another ribbon cutting at our permanent facility. Until then, we will enjoy this temporary home.”

“It has been a long time coming, but we are happy to be here today for this historic event,” said NY Waterway President and CEO Armand Pohan. “We are happy to be here at this temporary facility – but it will not be a temporary service. We signed up for this gig for the next 20 years.”

Pohan noted that once-abandoned industrial sites in the region, such as the South Amboy location, have been transformed by ferry service.

“You have the ferry and then residential development comes. Then, retail starts coming and entertainment starts coming,” Pohan explained. “And that is going to be the future here over the next 20 years as a result of starting this ferry service.”

He echoed what a lot of the officials who spoke during the event stressed — how critical the public-private partnerships between the different stakeholders and entities were to make this project a reality.

“I’m proud to join state and local leaders in South Amboy today to witness the launch of the ferry. This moment is the culmination of years of hard work from everyone joining us today. The South Amboy ferry will give residents a new way to commute between Central Jersey and New York City and reduce traffic congestion,” said U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th District. “The ferry will also bolter economic opportunities in the city and surrounding area. I’m glad to see the federal funding I helped secure for the project in action, and I want to thank everyone who joined us today for their dedication to this important project.”

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-19th District, who was born and raised in South Amboy, described the ribbon cutting as a special day after a very long journey as well as a testament to the tenacity, commitment, vision and work between different levels of government by project stakeholders and town leaders, such as the mayor.

“The reason we were all committed to doing this is because it is such a big deal for South Amboy. It really is,” said Coughlin. “This is something special.”

Coughlin said that South Amboy is a place that is on the move, pointing to many of the exciting happenings and redevelopment projects taking place.

“It is a place that I have witnessed the transformation over the course of the years. And it is a really special place with a remarkable downtown – and one that is going to really benefit from this ferry terminal because it is going to bring people into South Amboy,” Coughlin explained. “And once they get to see it, they are going to get to love it. To the point – if you build it and they will come. Well, they will and they are going to come enjoy South Amboy.”

“This ferry service is much more than a connection to New York – as it represents an economic driver for the city and, more importantly, cements South Amboy and the 19th District’s role as a major transit hub in Middlesex County,” said Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, D-19th District.

“These are very exciting times for South Amboy,” said Henry. “And I very honored to be the mayor of South Amboy – to see this project through.”