NYCEDC announces launch of faster ferry connections l

The city has launched an express ferry that can take commuters from Bay Ridge to lower Manhattan in around 20 minutes as part of a pilot program.

Some ferries traveling along the south Brooklyn route between 6:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on weekdays will now travel directly from Bay Ridge to Atlantic Avenue/Brooklyn Bridge Park to Pier 11/Wall Street, NYC Ferry said in a release.

A handful of ferries along the route will still go local, starting at Brooklyn Army Terminal/Sunset Park, stopping at Governors Island, Red Hook, Pier 11/Wall Street and DUMBO/Fulton Ferry and ending at Corlears Hook, the release noted.

The trip from Bay Ridge to Pier 11/Wall Street will take approximately 21 minutes for commuters traveling along the expedited route, NYC Ferry said.

Riders will not need a special ticket to board express ferries.

“An express ferry has always been the dream. For people who work in Manhattan, being able to get from Bay Ridge to Wall Street in under 20 minutes is an absolute game changer,” Councilmember Justin Brannan, whose district includes Bay Ridge, said in a statement. “There is simply no other way to get to Manhattan that fast.”

In his own statement, Mayor Eric Adams called the new route “a huge win for residents of South Brooklyn, who have been isolated in a transit desert for too long.”

“To our neighbors in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Red Hook and across South Brooklyn who will benefit from much shorter commutes, I look forward to seeing you on the water soon,” he said.