Soundview Ferry Route to Expand, Linking The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Rockaways in NYC Ferry Overhaul

Since before NYC Ferry first launched its Soundview route in 2017 connecting The Bronx to Manhattan by water, Welcome2TheBronx has been vocally advocating for a direct connection to Brooklyn and Queens.

Now, after years of pushing for this idea—along with thousands of Bronx commuters who want to bypass Manhattan on their way to Queens and Brooklyn—it is one step closer to reality.

NYC Ferry and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced yesterday that they are collecting public comments on proposed changes to routes including the expansion of the Soundview route which would extend to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and the Rockaways.

The route would be by far the longest in the NYC Ferry system at almost 34 miles and will take about two hours to travel from one end to the other. Currently, it can take over two and a half hours to get between Soundview and the Rockaways by public transportation and requires multiple changes to different subway lines along the way.

A one-seat ride between these communities is a much welcomed relief.

According to NYCEDC, the frequency of service will more or less stay the same with weekday peak service slightly increasing to every 43 minutes versus the current 41 minutes and weekday off-peak increasing to 64 minutes from 61.

Summer weekend frequency is expected to remain the same at 45 minutes.

The proposed changes, which will merge some routes, and, as in the case of the proposed Soundview/Rockaway route, offer commuters seamless travel without having to switch ferries, is geared to increase ridership which will help decrease the subsidy per rider.

Providing a direct public transportation option, other than buses, between The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens is one of the most impactful decisions given the fact that the three boroughs combined account for 7 million residents—almost 80% of NYC’s population of 8.3 million.

However, if NYC Ferry and NYCEDC want to truly be revolutionary, they should include a route that would further connect The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens with a new route that would go from Soundview and Throggs Neck to Astoria, LIC, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and even DUMBO.

This would make all these communities easily accessible to each other and has the potential to make an even bigger environmental impact by taking cars off the road if easier access is provided between them.

In the meantime, NYCEDC is accepting comments on the proposed changes and if you want to provide your own thoughts, you can easily do so here, just make sure you do so by Monday, September 1, 2025.