New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York Governor George E. Pataki and New Jersey Governor James McGreevey today announced the first of a multi-phase plan to dramatically expand ferry service. The overall plan, developed by the Ferry Task Force, is designed to assist commuters whose travel patterns have been most adversely affected by the attack on the World Trade Center. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding Daniel Doctoroff, Port Authority (PA) Chairman Jack G. Sinagra, PA Vice Chairman Charles A. Gargano, New York Waterway President Arthur Imperatore, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Director Joe Picciano also attended the announcement.

"As I proposed in my State of the City address, expanding ferry service is an excellent way to address the difficulties in traveling to and around New York City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "As a result of the successful collaboration of this unprecedented bi-state, multi agency task force convened by the Deputy Mayor's office just six weeks ago, we were able to increase ferry service in record time and provide employees, residents and visitors of Lower Manhattan with a fast, convenient and economical option for getting to and around downtown. Thanks to all our partners at the City and State level, and to FEMA for funding this important initiative."

Due to the attack on the World Trade Center, which had severe ramifications on the transportation infrastructure within Lower Manhattan, the demand for regional ferry service has increased dramatically since September 11^th. The average morning rush-hour peak-period ferry trips on all routes from New Jersey to Manhattan, midtown as well as downtown, jumped from 17,000 to 28,000. The average total weekday trips on all routes from New Jersey to Manhattan, midtown as well as downtown, rose from 30,000 to more than 60,000.

NY Waterway, which is chartering eight additional ferries and hiring up to 100 additional employees, will begin operating the new services on Monday, March 25^th. Services include a free water shuttle to carry commuters between the World Financial Center on the Hudson River and Pier 11 on the East River, more frequent service from the Hoboken Rail Terminal to the World Financial Center, and a new route between the Hoboken Rail Terminal and Pier 11 on the East River.

"It is now going to be much easier for tens of thousands of commuters and visitors to get into -- and to stay in -- Lower Manhattan," said New York Governor Pataki. "These expansions in ferry service will provide immediate improvements for New Yorkers and New Jerseyans alike, as we take another significant step toward rebuilding and restoring Lower Manhattan."

"For tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, the expansion of service will go a long way towards replacing the PATH service to Lower Manhattan that was lost on September 11," said New Jersey Governor McGreevey. "PATH must, and will, be restored, and a new transit center at the World Trade Center site will allow convenient transfers to destinations throughout Manhattan. In the meantime, however, commuters will get immediate relief."

"Since the September 11th attacks, the Port Authority has used its financial and technical muscle to begin to rebuild Lower Manhattan's transportation infrastructure," said PA Chairman Sinagra. "We pledged to invest more than $500 million to restore PATH service to the area and we invested another $5 million to dredge and upgrade ferry slips at Hoboken Terminal to allow for increased service to operate from that facility. We have also aggressively supported the new plans announced today."

"We are pleased that FEMA is able to support the City in implementing transportation solutions to help bring the City back to normalcy," said FEMA Regional Director Picciano. "We will continue to work with the City, New York State and New Jersey to facilitate the recovery of the region."

"Governors Pataki and McGreevey and Mayor Bloomberg understand that the Hudson River is a highway that unites us rather than divides us," said NY Waterway President Imperatore. "With the help of our elected leaders, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NY Waterway will carry thousands of new commuters to work and continue our efforts to help rebuild Lower Manhattan and our entire region."

The expansion of ferry service in the New York-New Jersey region involves two new services and the expansion of an existing one:

Ferry service from Hoboken to all three Lower Manhattan stops at Pier A, the World Financial Center and Pier 11/Wall Street will be free for the first week, March 25^th - 29^th.

The ferry shuttle and Hoboken service also will operate every 20 minutes during the off-peak periods up until midnight, and between 10 a.m. and 9:50 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Service from the Hoboken Rail Terminal to Pier A will continue to operate every 6 minutes during the morning and evening rush hours, Monday through Friday. Aside from the free water shuttle, the cost of the ferry service after the initial free week will be $3 each way or $80 for a monthly pass, which works out to approximately $2 per trip. More complete schedule information is available at nywaterway.com or at (800) 53-FERRY.

In addition, since September 11^th, commuters from New Jersey, who represent approximately 25 percent of the Lower Manhattan workforce, face longer and more expensive commutes. By some estimates, former PATH riders will pay as much as $750 more per year to come to Lower Manhattan. Furthermore, former PATH riders frequently face significantly increased commuting times.

The new service will begin on Monday, March 25^th, and is being funded by FEMA, which agreed to fund the leasing and operating costs for eight ferry boats to be operated by NY Waterway, which has an existing contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and structural improvements to ferry landings at Pier 11, the World Financial Center and Hoboken Terminal.

The Ferry Task Force was convened by the Mayor's Office to find ways to decrease commuting times and costs to Lower Manhattan from New Jersey, increase employee/resident mobility within Lower Manhattan, and increase commuter satisfaction. The task force partners include the Port Authority of NY/NJ, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Economic Development Corporation, NYC Department of City Planning, Metropolitan Transit Authority, NYC Parks Department, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Empire State Development Corporation, New Jersey Transit, and New Jersey Department of Transportation.

After the press conference, Mayor Bloomberg and Governors Pataki and McGreevey took a ride on the "Austin Tobin" named for the Executive Director of the Port Authority from 1942 to 1972, and who directed the construction of the World Trade Center.