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 territorie ...

. The ferry crosses the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

, connecting the

Camden Waterfront The Camden Waterfront, also known as the Central Waterfront, is a commercial and entertainment district in Camden, New Jersey, on the Delaware River south of the Ben Franklin Bridge and north of Port of Camden. The district is characterized by it ...

, in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

, 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 largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 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 Penn ...

(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 and ...

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 a ...

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 Crossings may refer to: * ''Crossings'' (Buffy novel), a 2002 original novel based on the U.S. television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' * Crossings (game), a two-player abstract strategy board game invented by Robert Abbott * ''Crossings'' ...

, place=

, 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 The PATCO Speedline (signed in Philadelphia as the Lindenwold Line and also known colloquially as the PATCO High Speed Line) is a rapid transit route operated by the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), which runs between Philadelphia, Pe ...

'', 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, New Jersey, Gloucester City in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, New Jersey in the east. The bridge ...

, 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