Contact: Colleen Roche 212-788-2958 or Curt Ritter (212)788-2971
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore Jr. announced today that NY Waterway will begin ferry service from Manhattan to Shea Stadium on the Mets Express beginning at noon on Tuesday, March 31st -- in time for the Mets Opening Day game against the Philadelphia Phillies -- from Pier 17 at Manhattan's South Street Seaport.
Also on hand to christen the Mets Express were 1969 World Champion New York Mets legends Art Shamsky and Ed Charles.
"One of my dreams as Mayor is to have a Mets-Yankees World Series," said Mayor Giuliani. "The Mets and the Yankees are expected to finish in the top of their divisions this year -- possibly setting the stage for the first Mets-Yankees World Series ever. When the Mets Express sets sail March 31st it will join the Yankee Clipper, which started service to Yankee Stadium in 1996, as a new means of transportation for New York City baseball fans traveling to the stadiums. This year New Yorkers could be on their way to not only a subway series, but to the first ever Mets-Yankees ferry series as well.
"The creation of the Mets Express is another phase of the City's overall commitment to encourage the growth of private ferry service as a pleasant, comfortable, and reliable way to travel in New York City," the Mayor continued. "I am pleased to join with NY Waterway and the New York Mets in announcing this new privately-operated passenger ferry service on the East River linking Shea Stadium with Manhattan. I also want to thank New York Mets President and CEO Fred Wilpon and NY Waterway President Arthur Imperatore, Jr. for their hard work in pressing forward with this plan. I know that Mets fans around the City, and all around the metropolitan area, will be thanking them once the season starts," the Mayor concluded.
"NY Waterway is pleased to provide safe, convenient, environmentally sound service for Amazin' Mets fans," said NY Waterway President Arthur Imperatore, Jr. "We are committed to providing hassle-free commuting and to opening up the beautiful vista of Queens and other areas of New York which can be experienced from the water."
"The New York Mets and NY Waterway have teamed up to provide a great experience for fans, making a trip to Shea Stadium an even more enjoyable outing," said New York Mets legend Ed Charles.
ew York Mets legend Art Shamsky added, "This is an easy double play -- take a relaxing boat ride and then enjoy the excitement of New York Mets baseball."
The Mets Express -- patterned after the popular Yankee Clipper ferry service to Yankee Stadium, which NY Waterway launched in 1996 -- will leave Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport 90 minutes before the starting all Mets games Monday through Friday. The ferry will stop at East 34th Street and East 90th Street before arriving at the World's Fair Marina in Flushing Bay approximately 30 - 40 minutes before the start of the game. It is approximately a 5-7 minute walk from the Marina to Shea Stadium. The ferry will depart thirty minutes after the last out of the game from the World's Fair Marina. For Saturday, Sunday, and holiday games, the Mets Express will leave from Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey two hours before game-time and travel directly to Shea Stadium. Round-trip tickets will cost $10 for weekday ferry service and $15 for weekend and holiday service. The Mets Express, like the Yankee Clipper, will offer food and beverage service.
NY Waterway, the largest privately-owned commuter ferry operator in the U.S., presently transports more than 25,000 people per day -- six million passengers per year - on eight routes from New Jersey, Staten Island, and Queens to Manhattan, reducing automobile traffic and pollution in the metropolitan area. The company is currently developing several additional routes.