STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As of 6:05 a.m. today, the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn are again connected by boat — the first time since the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
On Monday, the NYC Ferry’s completely overhauled schedule went into effect. Among a number of other changes, with new routes being created and others being condensed, the new schedule established ferry service between Bay Ridge and St. George.
The first boat that left the fast ferry dock near Wall Street in St. George on Monday morning represented an end to a four-year campaign to link the two boroughs by water and the beginning of new connectivity between the communities.
After completing the first trip from Staten Island to Brooklyn, the NYC Ferry Starlight waits at Wall Street/Pier 11 in Manhattan to pick up passengers for a return trip.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
“It was a long time coming,” said John Kilcullen of Tompkinsville.
“It’s connecting us to the rest of the city, and this is my first trip from Staten Island to Brooklyn not via car,” he continued. “You can hop over now and go to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx via a boat. It’s almost seamless.”
There were six passengers on the inaugural ferry from Staten Island to Brooklyn at 6:05 a.m.
As the vessel bobbed and the metal pier was heard creaking in the choppy waters, the crew of the Starlight ferryboat deftly navigated the predawn harbor waters and crossed the Narrows.
During the trip, some on board reflected on what the new ferry made possible.
“I’m definitely excited about the connection to Brooklyn, that’s for sure,” said John Gilling of Stapleton, one of the first passengers on the new ferry.
Passengers board the NYC Ferry Owls Head at the St. George stop, on route to Midtown West, on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
“My wife and I just moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island in February, so we were starting to feel a little… I won’t say estranged from our Brooklyn friends, but it was a pain to get there without driving,” Gilling continued, adding that he was on his way to get breakfast with his sister. “So this is great.”
After stopping in Bay Ridge, the ferry continued to the two remaining stops on the line —Brooklyn Bridge Park and Wall Street/Pier 11.
The boat landed at the Wall Street pier in the East River just before 6:40 a.m., an approximately 35 minute journey from start to finish.
On a later return trip to Staten Island, one Bay Ridge resident said the new route would completely revamp his morning commute.
“I would take the S79 over the bridge and then transfer to Old Town, and take the Staten Island Railroad to St. George,” said Ben D., who works at the courts on Staten Island and asked that his last name not be used. “It wasn’t intuitive.”
“I don’t know anybody who put [the new route] together, but they must have known that this would be better for me,” he joked.
After making the initial ride to Bay Ridge on Monday morning, the NYC Ferry Starlight departs St. George for another trip to Brooklyn.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
Later in the morning, the New York City Economic Development Corporation — which oversees the NYC Ferry — hosted a ribbon cutting, celebrating the inaugural ride of the Staten Island to Brooklyn route.
Over 70 elected officials, agency representatives, transit advocates and community members made the trip across the water, with many celebrating the culmination of years of work to bring this to fruition.
Staten Island politicians including (from left) District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, brave the cold in St. George before cutting a ribbon to celebrate the new ferry to Brooklyn.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
“This is an incredible, incredible accomplishment for the North Shore and Brooklyn, bringing these two boroughs back together by our blue subway‚” said Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a longterm supporter of the route.
“North Shore development is now going to be catapulted into the stratosphere,” the Democrat representing the Island’s North Shore continued.
“This has been the dream since they built the bridge and killed the ferry, this has been the dream to bring this back. The infrastructure was there, that’s the hardest part.” said Councilmember Justin Brannan, a Democrat representing Bay Ridge. “Everything was there, and it just took the political will.”
A NYC Ferry boat travels up the East River after leaving Wall Street/Pier 11 in Manhattan on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
The new route was also celebrated by several other of the borough’s incumbent politicians, especially those whose districts span both Staten Island and Brooklyn.
“This is one of the things I talked about when I ran for mayor in 2017. That’s how long this idea has been floating out there,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.
“I’m really proud to have delivered billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding to support the DOT and EDC,” she continued. “This particular ferry is important to me, being somebody who represents both Staten Island and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and being able to connect the two.”
In addition, Borough President Vito Fossella, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, and representatives for Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams and State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton were in attendance.
“Residents have been calling for a faster, more reliable way to reach Brooklyn,” said Assemblymember Charles Fall, a Democrat representing the North Shore, a small portion of Brooklyn, and lower Manhattan.
“The new fast ferry delivers on that shared effort. It cuts commute times and finally gives Staten Islanders the direct link they’ve waited years to see,” he continued.
An NYC Ferry captain navigates the boat between the Bay Ridge and Brooklyn Bridge park stops on the St. George route.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
“The St. George fast ferry’s expansion to Bay Ridge is an absolute game changer for our borough, its commuters and Staten Island’s quality of life as a whole,” said McMahon.
As the boat progressed along the route, the mood onboard stayed jovial all the way to Wall Street. As each stop was announced over the ship’s PA system, a cheer erupted from the passengers, with others lining up to briefly disembark and tour the fast ferry stops.
“After more than three years of advocacy, it’s finally time to celebrate!” said Rose Uscianowski, the Staten Island and South Brooklyn Organizer for Transportation Alternatives. “The expansion of fast ferry service is an enormous win for all of Staten Island.”
The enthusiasm for this ferry connection is one that EDC officials say was shared during the public comment period on the changes, after the new route was first proposed by the agency.
“When we announced in July our original plan, we put out an engagement form to ask our riders what they thought and we got 15,00 responses to that survey,” explained James Wong, executive director of NYC Ferry.
“Those numbers really gave us the foundation to say that people were going to love this, and, yes, Staten Island to Brooklyn was consistently one of the things that people were asking for the entire time. We were really excited to deliver on them.”