The RiverLink Ferry is a

passenger ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

service in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The ferry crosses the Delaware River, connecting the Camden Waterfront, in Camden, New Jersey, with

Penn's Landing Penn's Landing is a waterfront area of Center City Philadelphia along the Delaware River. Its name commemorates the landing of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in 1682. The actual landing site is farther south in Chester, Pennsylvani ...

, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania. The ferry operates daily from May through September, and on Fridays through Sundays in April and October. Primarily, the system provides

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

with a means to reach waterfront attractions. The service carries over 200,000 passengers per year and first turned a profit in 2006.

History

The ferry service initiated operations in March 1992."Philly Ferry Crews Stick With Seafarers"
www.seafarers.org, accessed September 1, 2007 Between April 1, 2000 and 2015 the service was operated by the

Delaware River Port Authority The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the governments of Pen ...

(DRPA). The DRPA originally agreed to take over its operation in November 1999. Service is provided by ''Freedom Ferry'', a 600-passenger vessel managed by Hornblower Marine Services. On June 3, 2005, Hornblower also began offering Delaware River ferry tours under the name "Harbor Tours." In 2000, the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States a ...

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 ...

provided a grant of $1,306,500 for the purchase and conversion of a second vessel. This vessel, which became the ''Freedom Ferry'', began operating in 2003 and eventually replaced the original vessel. On October 31, 2005, the DRPA announced it had received federal funding of $7.3 million for improvements to the ferry's dock in Philadelphia, comprising $3.3 million up front plus $1 million a year for four years. In 2015, DRPA sold the RiverLink Ferry to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and the Cooper's Ferry Partnership.

References

External links

* {{Crossings navbox, structure= Crossings, place= Delaware River, bridge=RiverLink Ferry, upstream=

Benjamin Franklin Bridge The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, originally named the Delaware River Bridge and known locally as the Ben Franklin Bridge, is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey. Owned and ...

, upstream signs= I-676

'' PATCO Speedline'', downstream=

Walt Whitman Bridge The Walt Whitman Bridge is a single-level suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia in the west to Gloucester City in Camden County, New Jersey in the east. The bridge is named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided i ...

, downstream signs= I-76

Crossings of the Delaware River Ferries of New Jersey Ferries of Pennsylvania Transportation in Philadelphia Delaware River Port Authority Transportation in Camden, New Jersey 1992 establishments in New Jersey 1992 establishments in Pennsylvania

History

See also

References

External links