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The MBTA boat or MBTA ferry system is a public
boat service A boat service is regularly scheduled transport using one or more boats, typically on a river, at a set charge, normally depending on the length of the trip and the type of passenger. The service may only be available for foot passengers. Examples ...
providing
water transportation Water transportation is the international movement of water over large distances. Methods of transportation fall into three categories: * Aqueducts, which include pipelines, canals, tunnels and bridges * Container shipment, which includes trans ...
in
Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History ...
. It is operated by Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) under contract to the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network ...
(MBTA). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . The system consists of three routes that terminate in downtown Boston. F1 service runs from Rowes Wharf to Hewitt's Cove in Hingham. F2H service runs from Long Wharf to Hewitt's Cove, with some trips stopping at
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...
,
Pemberton Point Pemberton Point (formerly known as Windmill Point) is a peninsula in Hull, Massachusetts. It is located at the tip of the Nantasket Peninsula, in Boston Harbor. History Historic manuscripts have called the location "Windmill Point" since the 18 ...
in
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
, and/or some of the
Boston Harbor Islands Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...
. F4 service runs in the inner harbor between Long Wharf and the
Charlestown Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
. A seasonal pilot service also operates between Long Wharf and
East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...
. Two additional seasonal routes, not funded by the MBTA but included on some MBTA documents, run from Boston to Salem and Winthrop. In the 19th century, numerous steamship routes ran from Boston to various destinations in the inner harbor, North Shore, and South Shore, plus routes to elsewhere in New England and to Europe. Ferry service declined in the late 19th century and 20th century due to competition from railways, streetcars, and finally automobiles; by the 1930s, only summer routes plus the East Boston ferry remained. Year round service to Hull was reintroduced in 1963, and was then the only commuter ferry service in the country. This was followed by Hingham service in 1975, tourist-oriented Charlestown service in 1979, and Quincy service in 1996 – as well as several other short-lived routes. Most routes were either unsubsidized or state-funded; from 1986 to 2002, they gradually became subsidized by the MBTA. Service to Quincy and Hull was combined in 1998; in 2013, the Quincy terminal was replaced by Hingham due to
wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locati ...
damage. The MBTA owns two ferries used on the F2H route; BHC owns ferries used on the F1 and F4 routes. The ferry system has the highest on-time performance and farebox recovery ratio of MBTA service types. However, it is only a small component of MBTA service: in 2016, the three MBTA-funded routes carried 5,070 passengers per weekday – about 0.4% of total MBTA ridership.


Routes


Inner Harbor ferry

*F4 Boston (Long Wharf)–
Charlestown Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
service runs year-round on weekdays with ferries operating on 15-minute headways at rush hour and 30-minute headways at other times, and on a reduced schedule on weekends. The fare is $3.70; Zone 1A passes on
CharlieCard The CharlieCard is a contactless smart card used for fare payment for transportation in the Boston area. It is the primary payment method for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and several regional public transport systems ...
s are accepted. Boat service between Boston and Charlestown ended in 1786 after the completion of the
Charles River Bridge This is a list of the crossings of the Charles River from its mouth at Boston Harbor upstream to its source at Echo Lake (the four tunnels crossing the inner portion of Boston Harbor are not included). All locations are in Massachusetts. __TOC_ ...
. The
Winnisimmet Ferry The Winnisimmet Ferry was a ferry between Chelsea, Massachusetts, United States, and Boston's North End. Founded in 1631, when Chelsea was called Winnisimmet, it was the oldest ferry in the country. It ceased operations in 1917. The original fer ...
to Chelsea ran until January 1917, with a brief revival starting on May 15, 1990 during early
Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4&n ...
construction. Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) began tourist-oriented service, funded by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...
, between Long Wharf and the Navy Yard in June 1979. In June 1987, this was switched to general-purpose ferry service funded by the
Boston Redevelopment Authority The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), is a Massachusetts public agency that serves as the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial d ...
. In October 1988, the
Massachusetts Department of Public Works The Massachusetts Highway Department (abbreviated MassHighway) was the highway department in the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1991 until the formation of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in 2009. The responsibilitie ...
(DPW) began a four-year reconfiguration of the interchange between the Tobin Bridge and the
Charlestown High Bridge The Charlestown High Bridge (referred to as the John F. Fitzgerald Bridge on old AAA Tourbook maps) spanned the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts and was part of I-93/ US 1 at the north end of the Central Artery. This double-decked ...
. Charlestown ferry service was then increased, with funding from the DPW via the MBTA, and increased again in 1989. In 2004, the MBTA began directly funding the service. Two additional routes – the F3
Lovejoy Wharf North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Am ...
Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
and F5 Lovejoy Wharf– World Trade Center via Moakley Courthouse – began operation in 1997 during
Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4&n ...
construction. They were discontinued on January 21, 2005 due to low ridership. The F5X Lovejoy Wharf–World Trade Center express route was not funded by the MBTA and was run until February 24, 2006. A pilot (originally scheduled for one year) of a privately funded Lovejoy Wharf–Fan Pier route, intended mostly as a private employee shuttle, began in January 2019. It is overseen by the
Massachusetts Convention Center Authority The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) owns and oversees the operation of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, The Lawn on D, the MassMutual Center in Springfiel ...
on behalf of private companies in the Seaport, rather than by the MBTA. The fare for public riders was substantially reduced in April 2019. F4 service was indefinitely suspended on March 17, 2020 due to reduced ridership during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. On June 22, 75% of weekday service was restored, though weekend service remained suspended. F4 service was again temporarily suspended from January 23 to May 21, 2021; weekday and weekend service resumed on May 22.


East Boston

Ferry service to
East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...
began in 1832. The North Ferry (Battery Street to Border Street) ended in 1938 after the 1934 opening of the Sumner Tunnel; the BRB&L ferry (Rowes Wharf to Jeffries Point) ended in 1940, while the South Ferry (Sargent's Wharf to Lewis Wharf) lasted until 1952. City-run service ran from a new wharf at Lewis Street to Long Wharf from 1995 to 1997; it was discontinued due to extremely low ridership (an average of 1.3 passengers per trip) as the Blue Line provided a faster and more frequent service along the same corridor. In 2011, then-mayor
Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...
proposed ferry service between East Boston and Fan Pier on the
South Boston Waterfront South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...
, a route without current direct transit service. In August 2012, the
Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
awarded $1.28 million to the city for the purchase of two boats. In September 2012, the
Boston Redevelopment Authority The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), is a Massachusetts public agency that serves as the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial d ...
accepted the grant and agreed to rehabilitate the East Boston Marine Terminal for the ferries, which were then expected to begin operation in 2013. In August 2014, the MBTA opened bidding for providing the two boats for East Boston service. However, the grant was less than the actual cost of two boats, and plans for the service stalled. Service would not launch until September 2021, when ferries began running between Lewis Wharf and Fan Pier. Temporary Long Wharf–Lewis Wharf ferry service was run from April 25 to May 17, 2022, during a closure of the Blue Line tunnel for maintenance. A pilot program of seasonal peak-hour Long Wharf–Lewis Wharf service began on September 12, 2022, with 22 round trips on weekdays and 19 on weekends.


South Shore

*F1 Boston ( Rowes Wharf)– Hingham service runs year-round on weekdays only. The single-ride fare is $9.75;
MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 stati ...
passes from Zone 6 and above are accepted. *F2H Boston ( Long Wharf)–Hingham and
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
via
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...
service runs year-round on weekdays and weekend service during the summer. Not all trips stop at Logan or Hingham; some also stop at Grape Island and
Georges Island Georges Island, or George's Island, may refer to: Geography * Georges Island (Massachusetts), offshore from the city of Boston, Massachusetts *Georges Island (Nova Scotia), offshore from the community of Halifax in the Halifax Regional Municipal ...
. The fare is $9.75 from Hingham and Hull to Boston (with Zone 6 or above passes accepted). Ferry service between Boston and Hingham began in 1832; after the South Shore Railroad began operation in 1849, ferries served largely recreational traffic rather than commuters. Service to Hull was added in 1848 (first Allerton Harbor, later Pemberton Point), and to Nantasket Beach in 1869. Service to the Hingham shipyard ended in 1898, though some service to Crow's Point lasted until 1923. Most of the Nantasket Boat Lines ferries were destroyed in a 1929 fire. The service was increasingly unprofitable to run; only summer service lasted past 1933. Hingham service ended in 1952; the last remains of Nantasket service ended in 1963. Massachusetts Bay Lines (MBL) restored year-round Pemberton Point–Boston service in March 1963 – then the only commuter ferry service in the country – followed by seasonal Nantasket service in 1964. Bay State Cruises took over the route in 1980.
Paragon Park Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. It closed in 1984. Rides Among the amusement rides in operation during Paragon Park's history was a traditional-style Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel (PT ...
closed in 1985, and Nantasket service ended again in 1992. In 1996, Bay State Cruises sold the Hull route to Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), who obtained an MBTA subsidy. Renewed Rowes Wharf–Hingham service began with a single round trip on October 6, 1975. The service was initiated by Ed King, then director of the
Massachusetts Port Authority Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) is an American port authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It owns and operates three airports—Logan International Airport, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport—and public terminals i ...
. Service was run by several operators, sometimes with state funding, most of the next eight years. In March 1983, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Services began eleven subsidized round trips (reduced to eight that June). The state began subsidizing eight additional round trips by Boston Harbor Commuter Services in 1984 during Southeast Expressway reconstruction. The MBTA began subsidizing service in 1986; after 1991, only Boston Harbor Commuter Services received a subsidy. In the 1990s, expanded ferry service was proposed as an alternative to the controversial return of commuter rail service on the Greenbush Line. Boston Harbor Cruises (which had briefly operated Hingham service in 1978) took over the Hingham–Boston service in 1997. In 1996, Water Transportation Associates (WTA), doing business as Harbor Express, began service between
Fore River Shipyard Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on Quincy Point in 1901. I ...
in Quincy and Long Wharf via
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...
. Two ferries and five years of operations were funded by then-shipyard owner
General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...
. Quincy–Logan service began on November 18, 1996, with Long Wharf service added several weeks later. In 1998, the MBTA and BHC failed to reach a subsidy agreement. MBTA-subsidized Hull stops were added to several existing WTA Boston-Hingham trips. After the original funding ran out in 2001, the state funded service for the first half of 2002. In April 2002, the MBTA bought the WTA assets (two ferries, the Quincy terminal, and the Long Wharf lease); the WTA later won the contract to run the service. The MBTA designated the Hingham–Boston service as F1 and Quincy–Boston as F2, with trips serving Hull called F2H. Attempts in 2010 and 2011 to restore summer weekend service to Nantasket failed due to high fuel costs. On July 1, 2013, BHC took over Hingham services from WTA. Quincy service was temporarily discontinued on October 14, 2013, with boats redirected to Hingham, when a water main break added to existing structural problems with the sea wall at the Quincy wharf. In January 2014, the MBTA made the closure (and increased Hingham service) permanent after it was determined that repairs would cost $15 million for five years of additional service, or $50 million for 50 years. The damage also forced the closure of the ''
USS Salem Three ships of the United States Navy have been named USS ''Salem'': * was a scout cruiser in service from 1908 to 1921 * was the civilian vessel ''Joseph R. Parrott'', used as a minelayer from 1942 to 1945 * is a heavy cruiser and museum ship ...
'' museum. Quincy proposed Squantum Point as an alternative terminal to maintain ferry service to the city. In July 2014, a neighboring shipyard purchased the Quincy site from the MBTA. The ''Salem'' was to be moved to
East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...
in 2015; however, in February 2016 it was determined that it would stay in Quincy and eventually reopen. In 2019, Quincy submitted an application to the MBTA to establish Squatum–Logan–Boston service in 2020. Weekend summer service on the F2H route, last operated in 1998 and 1999, was introduced on May 24, 2014. The Hingham Intermodal Center was opened in January 2017, providing a larger waiting area and ticketing facilities. On January 2, 2018, ferry service to Hingham was indefinitely suspended due to ice damage to the dock during severe cold the previous week. Service resumed on January 15 after repairs to the dock. F1 and F2H service was suspended on March 17, 2020 due to reduced ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 22, 75% of weekday service was restored, though weekend service remained suspended. F1 service was again temporarily suspended on January 23, 2021, with limited F2H service continuing to operate. F1 service, stops at Logan Airport, and weekend service resumed on May 22.


North Shore

Two summer-only routes to the North Shore are not funded by the MBTA but are included on MBTA maps: *Salem Fast Ferry – operates from Salem Ferry Terminal to Long Wharf. Four round trips are run Mondays through Wednesdays, and five round trips on other days. Fares are $8 for commuters and $25 for others; MBTA Zone 3 passes are accepted only on some weekday trips. *Winthrop Ferry – operates from Winthrop Ferry Terminal to Central Wharf, with stops at Fan Pier and Marina Bay on most trips. Three round trips are run on weekdays and weekends. Fares are $6; MBTA passes are not accepted. Steamboat service between Salem and Boston was run at various points between 1818 and 1931; because of competition from the
Eastern Railroad The Eastern Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine. Throughout its history, it competed with the Boston and Maine Railroad for service between the two cities, until the Boston & Maine put an end to the compet ...
, it was largely intended for recreation. Service to Winthrop was operated during several periods between 1840 and 1898; it too was largely out-competed by the
Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad The Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad was a narrow-gauge passenger-carrying shortline railroad between East Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts, from 1875 to 1940. Part of the railroad's right of way now forms the outer section of the Massa ...
for the commuter market. Lynn service was operated in the 1870s, and between 1892 and 1908. Ferry service between Boston and Salem was operated during the summer of 1998 by WTA, funded by a state grant. BHC ran unsubsidized service in the summers of 1999 and 2000. Salem service resumed on June 22, 2006, with a ferry funded largely by a $2.3 million state grant. It was operated by WTA during the summers of 2006 to 2011; BHC took over the service without subsidy in 2012. In 2009, Salem began allowing MBTA Commuter Rail passes to be used on certain peak-hour trips. Winthrop service, run by BHC under a three-year state grant, began on August 2, 2010 and lasted until 2012. A local charter operator ran some unsubsidized service in 2013. Service resumed on April 16, 2016 with a town-owned vessel operated by town employees. The Marina Bay stop (previously served by several short-lived services between 1977 and 1997) was added on August 16, 2016. The Boston terminal was at Fan Pier from April to June 2017, then Rowes Wharf (with an intermediate Fan Pier stop) for the remainder of the summer. Central Wharf became the Boston terminal in 2018. The service's high cost and low reliability has attracted criticism; it was not run for six weeks in 2019 due to mechanical issues and lack of staff. The Lynn Ferry formerly operated from Lynn Ferry Terminal to Central Wharf. Service began on May 19, 2014 with three weekday round trips, as a two-year pilot program funded by the state. Fares were $3.50; MBTA Commuter Rail passes from Zone 2 or above were accepted for fares. Although the state spent $8.5 million on the terminal and $4.5 million in federal funds was secured for a larger ferry, the service was not run in summer 2016 due to lack of $700,000 in operations funding. Service resumed for June—September 2017 with funding from MassDOT, with one daily round trip timed for commuting. Fares were doubled to $7, and MBTA passes were not accepted. Due to low ridership in 2017 – just 30 daily passengers – the service was not resumed in 2018.


Operation

All MBTA-funded services are operated by Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) under contract to the MBTA. The Salem route is also operated by Boston Harbor Cruises, but under contract to the town. It is the most reliable mode of MBTA service, with on-time performance typically above 95%. In 2016, the MBTA-funded portion of the system carried 5,070 passengers per weekday – about 0.4% of total MBTA ridership. Until 2017, the MBTA owned two ferries, the ''Lightning'' and the ''Flying Cloud'', both built in 1996. They were largely replaced by the new
catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-sta ...
s ''Champion'' (named for ''
Champion of the Seas ''Champion of the Seas'' was the second largest clipper ship destined for the Liverpool, England - Melbourne, Australia passenger service. ''Champion'' was ordered by James Baines of the Black Ball Line from Donald McKay. She was launched 19 ...
'') in October 2017, and ''Glory'' (after '' Glory of the Seas'') in May 2018. The MBTA-owned ferries are used for the F2H route, while BHC-owned ferries are used for the F1 and F4 routes. Some F1 trips are run by Massachusetts Bay Lines, using their own boats, under subcontract to BHC. , the MBTA planned to overhaul the older catamarans in 2020–22; new double-ended ferries for route F4 were also being considered.


Finances and averted cuts

MBTA boat services have the highest farebox recovery ratio of any MBTA service type – 55% in 2012. However, the service still operated at a $5 million annual loss to the MBTA and carried a relatively small percentage of passengers, which resulted in calls for its discontinuance or modification. In 2012, facing a substantial budget gap, the MBTA proposed substantial service cuts and fare increases. All ferry routes were to be cut, resulting in $3.7 million savings for the agency. Temporary measures were found to avoid some service cuts including the ferries; however, weekend Quincy service was eliminated and fares raised 35% in an attempt to eliminate the subsidy required. State lawmakers also then proposed that Massport take over the ferries from the MBTA. By 2014, farebox recovery increased to 62%. In 2018, the MBTA bid operation of all three routes in a single contract; BHC was the only bidder despite the MBTA's attempts to find a competitor. The cost was originally $17.2 million for the first year with annual increases (with the MBTA keeping all fare revenue); the MBTA negotiated the cost down to $13.6 million.


References


External links


MBTA – Ferry

Boston Harbor Cruises – Commuter Services

Boston Harbor Cruises – Salem Fast Ferry

Boston Harbor Now – Water Transportation Study
{{MBTA Ferry companies of Massachusetts Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority