NJ to NYC commuters stressed about rail service always have ferry options

⛴️ Ferry service runs from NJ to NY
⛴️Dozen NJ terminals combined
⛴️Two private companies

New Jersey commuters who need to get to New York City have been wearily watching negotiations involving New Jersey Transit and its engineers' union, concerned that rail service could grind to a halt if a strike happens.

Even without the threat of a stoppage, rail service has been fraught with erratic overhead wire issues and other Amtrak-related delays in recent years.

Residents near the coast are being reminded they can also take to the water.

NY Waterway ferries offer more than a dozen routes from New Jersey to downtown and midtown Manhattan.

There are nine terminals along the New Jersey coast — in Edgewater, Weehawken, Hoboken Jersey City and South Amboy.

Seastreak, another private carrier, also has three terminals, all within close proximity in Monmouth County, in Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Belford.

A one-way NJ Transit ticket between Aberdeen-Matawan and New York Penn Station is just shy of $17, while one from Hazlet station to NY Penn is $17.25.

A one-way NY Waterway ticket from South Amboy to Manhattan is $18.

Read More: NJ ferry service now offering rides to NY MLB games

A one-way Seastreak ticket from Monmouth County to Manhattan is $28.

With free daytime parking for either company and free shuttles within the city for NY Waterway, the higher fare costs may actually start to even out.

Both ferry companies offer less daily trips, centered around early morning and late afternoon times.

NY Waterway has already been preparing to increase service, with additional ferry boats and crew as needed, if the strike should happen.

“The ferry, which is fast, comfortable and reliable, can provide the best alternative commuting option into and out of the city for many New Jersey rail commuters,” NY Waterway President and CEO Armand Pohan said in a written release Tuesday.

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