R train riders benefit from ferry service extension, pols say
The decision by Mayor Bill de Blasio to extend the Sunset Park-Wall Street ferry service into the spring will help R train riders coping with the loss of direct service to Manhattan, according to southern Brooklyn lawmakers.
Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) and state Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southern Brooklyn) both said the loss of R train service due to the ongoing repairs of the Montague Street tunnel are causing a hardship for straphangers that is alleviated somewhat by the ferry service at the Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier on 58th Street.
“For residents of Bay Ridge and Sunset Park, the R train has always been our transit lifeline. But since August 2013, when the MTA commenced a 14-month closure of the R-train tunnel into Manhattan to complete critical post-Sandy repair work, many of us have turned to our waterways for high-speed commuting,” Gentile said. “The Brooklyn Army Terminal Ferry has quickly become an essential fixture of southwest Brooklyn’s transportation network, whisking commuters from 58th Street to Wall Street in just 15 minutes! The quality of life improvements the BAT Ferry offers have quickly become apparent around my community. The R train will not resume its normal service until October 2014. The BAT Ferry has quickly and successfully filled in this transportation gap by providing an alternate means of commutation that is quick, reliable, and affordable.”
On Jan. 21, de Blasio announced that the ferry service, which is operating on a temporary basis and was scheduled to stop on Jan. 31, will be extended until May. The mayor also said the city had the option of extending the service until August.