Water Transportation in and around Boston

Guess we need a few good old fashioned ship wrecks to go along with the plane crashes.

uscg-marker-removals.webflow.io

USCG District 1 Navigation Beacon Removal Interactive Map

Explore an interactive map of proposed U.S. Coast Guard navigational marker removals for District 1. View approximate locations, learn about the changes, and find out how to submit public comments. Not for navigation.
uscg-marker-removals.webflow.io uscg-marker-removals.webflow.io
 
The MBTA Board today re-awarded the bulk of the ferry contract to Boston Harbor Cruises, at approximately an 18% cost increase compared to the existing contract. Additionally, there's apparently a new MassDOT water transportation study underway that I haven't heard much about and an effort to centralize MBTA boat operations at Long Wharf. While unfunded by the MBTA and likely lead by collaboration on the coastal resiliency work, it honestly looks quite good - depending on the T's resource priorities of course, it appears worth pursuing.
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www.wgbh.org

Merrimack Valley prepares to launch New England's first zero emission passenger ferries

Merrimack Valley Transit, or MeVa, says it plans to launch its first-ever zero emission ferries next year — a green plan being eyed by other local and national transit agencies.
www.wgbh.org www.wgbh.org

The ferries are expected to complete a river trip from Haverhill to Newburyport in just over an hour, he said. This trip can take as little as half an hour driving on I-495, but that highway is frequently badly congested.
 
#bancars said:
www.wgbh.org

Merrimack Valley prepares to launch New England's first zero emission passenger ferries

Merrimack Valley Transit, or MeVa, says it plans to launch its first-ever zero emission ferries next year — a green plan being eyed by other local and national transit agencies.
www.wgbh.org www.wgbh.org

The ferries are expected to complete a river trip from Haverhill to Newburyport in just over an hour, he said. This trip can take as little as half an hour driving on I-495, but that highway is frequently badly congested.
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MEVA bus #11 does Lawrence-Haverhill-Newburyport on limited-stop schedule in an hour on-the-button every hour without touching 495. Who is this ferry even for?
 
The Merrimack River was once heavily polluted. It still has a ways to go but it is encouraging to see towns now upgrading their riverfront. The shuttle seems like a relatively inexpensive trial balloon and a very cool way to get to Newburyport and the beach. It would be wicked cool if it could drop you off directly onto Salisbury Beach State Park
 
#bancars said:
"Economic development" / "tourism"?
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What economic development are you going to get with a mode that takes at least twice as long as the current mode to make the same trip, at 1/3 or less the capacity of the current mode, at a mere fraction of the frequency of the current mode? I get that water transportation has a sort of ride-quality zen that other modes don't have, but is that even close to worth it when it's going to take that much more time at that many fewer reps to perform the same function? Wouldn't spending $4.2M in grant money to double the frequencies of Route #11 to half-hourly and tart up its associated stop infrastructure be worth a whole lot more in "economic development" than a complete novelty? Our Gateway cities don't exactly have the luxury of being choosy with their transit improvement funding priorities. Fast, frequent, and scalable has to take priority. That means chase the better bus route before veering off into boutique toys.
 
You are too much. If there was a water shuttle from Hartford to the beach, you'd love it
 
Scott said:
You are too much. If there was a water shuttle from Hartford to the beach, you'd love it
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It's not going to the beach. It's going to the dock right next to the Route 1 bridge in downtown Newburyport. You have to transfer to the bus to get to the beach.

Why are you even taking a ferry to avoid the bus when you still have to take the bus? :rolleyes:
 
www.cbsnews.com

Frustrated East Boston commuters wait in long lines for ferry during Blue Line closure

The MBTA Blue Line trains from Bowdoin to Orient Heights are shut down for maintenance work through June 15.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
In response to the heavy demand, the MBTA added 12 more trips during weekdays, and 23 on the weekends. The morning pickup time has been extended, and as of June 11, the evening schedule has been extended by an hour.

The MBTA also added an extra 550-person vessel during rush hour. It made three trips Wednesday morning which helped to accommodate the huge influx.

The MBTA said the Eastie to Long Wharf ferry had 1,585 passengers from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday. They only had 50 passengers between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. a week prior.
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themissinglink said:
www.cbsnews.com

Frustrated East Boston commuters wait in long lines for ferry during Blue Line closure

The MBTA Blue Line trains from Bowdoin to Orient Heights are shut down for maintenance work through June 15.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
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Can confirm, literally hundreds of people in line this afternoon, had to wait for two boats (~30 minutes) to get on, but still that beats the absolute chaos of the shuttles this week.

I caught the big boat earlier this week and while the capacity is nice, it simply isn't designed for quick turn commute use. It took over 5 minutes to dock, get the lines on, and get the ramp set up. Probably some amount of unfamiliarity from the operator but still, then combined 150+ people boarding through a single narrow entrance, it's just not a committing boat. Desperately need some more bow loading boats.
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Ferry commuting scores higher on customer satisfaction surveys than other modes of public transit, offering amenities like ample seating, space for bikes and breathtaking skyline views, and it was the first to return to prepandemic ridership levels in cities like New York, San Francisco, Stockholm and Auckland, New Zealand.

What operators struggle to offer, however, is a fast, sustainable mode of transit. “Commuters want speed,” said Jakob Kuttenkeuler, a professor of naval architecture at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Over the last few months, however, Stockholm has been testing a vessel that may solve that problem: the world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry.

Developed by a Swedish start-up, Candela, a 30-seat, battery-driven vessel known as the P-12 has almost halved the commute time of a conventional diesel ferry — to 30 minutes — across an 11-mile stretch between the island of Ekero and City Hall in the center of Stockholm.

At the same time, the P-12 emits 95 percent less emissions than the diesel ferry and uses 80 percent less energy, according to SL, the Stockholm public transport authority.
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Let's put aside cost for the moment (the article goes on to state that the upfront cost of the ferries is 50% more than a diesel ferry, though brings operational savings). What would ferries being ~45% faster mean for Boston's transportation network? Are there any routes that suddenly become more viable?
 
Hingham in 15-20 minutes would be insane. Increased frequencies and shorter rides on existing routes is a perfect place to start. Maaaybe you could imagine something wacky like Plymouth or Salem at some point, but taking the existing routes from a very good to exceptional would open up a lot.

Even with current speeds we should have 2-3x the routes on high frequencies. Hough's Neck, JFK, Everett/Casino. Lots of great options in and around the inner harbor.
 
Just commenting on the tech here, and not on the viability of faster ferry routes... theres definitely a wiff of wunderwaffe about that electric hyrdofoil. At this point, technologically, hydrofoils have more or less fully lost their speed advantage to catamarans, which are often partially foiling anyways - its called a T foil. While the Boeing 929 I rode in Hong Kong maxes out at 45 knots and is one of the fastest designs out there, a modern Incat catamaran can hit 50+, with the HSC Francisco down in Uruguay hitting 58kts. That electric P12 they're touting only hits 25kts with 30 passengers - Incat just launched the all electric HSC China Zorrilla for operations in Uruguay which will also operate at 25kts while carrying 2100 passengers and 200 cars, and the smaller electric ferry with a 400 passenger capacity that they're building for San Francisco will also operate at 25kts. 25kts is not particularly fast when it comes to a ferry - in fact, the MBTAs own circa 2018 catamarans the Champion & Glory have a design service speed of 26kts, topping out at 30kts, and the Ava Pearl & Schodic Explorer that run to Winthrop were built to operate at 28kts.

Switching to that Swedish thing would, at the moment, actually represent a loss in speed and capacity. Theres some nuance about getting higher speed in a smaller ship that may favor hydrofoils, but im generally leery. Its definitely worth considering replacing the older monohulls, but I think with catamarans, not hydrofoils. Specifying a service speed of 35kts, a 40% increase from 25kts, is fully within their capabilities.

Plus, having ridden an hydrofoil ferry (in Hong Kong & in the Mediterranean) my understanding is that they come with some significant drawbacks, especially in open ocean. The foil is super vulnerable to hitting anything under the water, and In rough seas, they are *significantly* less comfortable than an conventional ferry, and often can't plane at all, leading them to be slower than a modern catereman ferry in all but very calm waters. I believe as a result almost all current hyrofoil ferry routes are in protected waters; either coastal inlets, like Hong Kong and the Japanese archipelago, or on inland seas, lakes and rivers. Sure, modern control systems can probably go a long way, but i don't think they're proven in open ocean. Boston Harbor maybe, but I would be leery of sending it beyond.

Lastly... I don't believe any offer the amenities people like about ferries - they're so exposed to spray i dont think any, including this electric one, offer any outdoor deck space for passengers, and as theyre so weight sensitive, theyre usually cramped and have less space for bikes and other things. Every one I've ever even looked at was set up much more like the economy cabin of an airliner than a comfy ferry ride.
 
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Stlin said:
Just commenting on the tech here, and not on the viability of faster ferry routes... theres definitely a wiff of wunderwaffe about that electric hyrdofoil. At this point, technologically, hydrofoils have more or less fully lost their speed advantage to catamarans, which are often partially foiling anyways - its called a T foil. While the Boeing 929 I rode in Hong Kong maxes out at 45 knots and is one of the fastest designs out there, a modern Incat catamaran can hit 50+, with the HSC Francisco down in Uruguay hitting 58kts. That electric P12 they're touting only hits 25kts with 30 passengers - Incat just launched the all electric HSC China Zorrilla for operations in Uruguay which will also operate at 25kts while carrying 2100 passengers and 200 cars, and the smaller electric ferry with a 400 passenger capacity that they're building for San Francisco will also operate at 25kts. 25kts is not particularly fast when it comes to a ferry - in fact, the MBTAs own circa 2018 catamarans the Champion & Glory have a design service speed of 26kts, topping out at 30kts, and the Ava Pearl & Schodic Explorer that run to Winthrop were built to operate at 28kts.

Switching to that Swedish thing would, at the moment, actually represent a loss in speed and capacity. Theres some nuance about getting higher speed in a smaller ship that may favor hydrofoils, but im generally leery. Its definitely worth considering replacing the older monohulls, but I think with catamarans, not hydrofoils. Specifying a service speed of 35kts, a 40% increase from 25kts, is fully within their capabilities.

Plus, having ridden an hydrofoil ferry (in Hong Kong & in the Mediterranean) my understanding is that they come with some significant drawbacks, especially in open ocean. The foil is super vulnerable to hitting anything under the water, and In rough seas, they are *significantly* less comfortable than an conventional ferry, and often can't plane at all, leading them to be slower than a modern catereman ferry in all but very calm waters. I believe as a result almost all current hyrofoil ferry routes are in protected waters; either coastal inlets, like Hong Kong and the Japanese archipelago, or on inland seas, lakes and rivers. Sure, modern control systems can probably go a long way, but i don't think they're proven in open ocean. Boston Harbor maybe, but I would be leery of sending it beyond.

Lastly... I don't believe any offer the amenities people like about ferries - they're so exposed to spray i dont think any, including this electric one, offer any outdoor deck space for passengers, and as theyre so weight sensitive, theyre usually cramped and have less space for bikes and other things. Every one I've ever even looked at was set up much more like the economy cabin of an airliner than a comfy ferry ride.
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Don't forget, the ferries operating out of Boston don't get to make use of the fastest speeds until well out of the harbor. Within Boston Harbor, speed restriction of 5, 10 or 15 kts apply. And there are the Right Whale restriction zones in Broad Sound (10 kts).

So for significant parts of their trips none of the ferries are using their max speed.
 
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