Study Confirms Need for Ferry from Fairfield to NYC
STAMFORD, Conn. -- A new study endorses the idea of launching a high-speed commuter ferry between Fairfield County and lower Manhattan, saying there is a viable market for the service.
The study, in the works for two years, concludes that the service could be a quick, comfortable and affordable alternative to driving and could help take vehicles off congested Interstate 95.
About 80 percent of commuters in the Stamford-Bridgeport area questioned in a survey for the study said they would consider using the high-speed ferry service if it were created, according to the review conducted for the Bridgeport Port Authority.
The study proposes two ferry boats operating during morning and evening peak hours on weekdays, with the possibility of adding weekend service to bolster tourism.
The service would include trips between Bridgeport and Stamford, and between Stamford and lower Manhattan.
Advocates believe it could attract Connecticut residents who commute to the financial districts of lower Manhattan, but who want to avoid the hassle of changing trains in New York City.
"It's a quicker ride than driving and only a little slower than rail,'' said Joseph Riccio, executive director of the Bridgeport Port Authority. "There will be no overbooking like there is on a train, so no one will be uncomfortably crowded.''
The proposal already has won millions of dollars in promised federal grants if ferry service is launched, although Stamford has not yet determined where its ferry launch site would be built.
The service would serve about 600 to 700 people a day initially, Riccio said.
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