Tuesday Was First Day Of NY Waterway Back To Running Belford Ferry Service

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Tuesday was the first day NY Waterway resumed providing the daily New York City ferry service in and out of the Belford Ferry Terminal in the Middletown.

All passengers were allowed to ride free during the first day of service. That was only one day; they have to pay going forward.

Subscribe

There are six morning departures from Belford beginning at 5:15 a.m. And five evening return trips from Manhattan. Ferries also run out of Belford on Saturdays and Sundays.

For the past several years, there has been a battle between NY Waterway and Seastreak over who operates the Belford ferry contract. Belford to NYC is a well-used ferry route; about 1,100 Monmouth County residents take the Belford ferry on weekdays.

NY Waterway operated the Belford ferry service when it first launched in 2002, a year after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. NY Waterway ran it for the next 20 years.

Then, in 2022, the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners made the surprise decision to switch the Belford contract to Seastreak, which operates the ferries out of Atlantic Highlands/Highlands and is NY Waterway's arch-rival.

At the time, NY Waterway told the Asbury Park Press they were "stunned" by the decision. NY Waterway sued Monmouth County and in 2024, the New Jersey Appeals Court ordered Monmouth County to reopen the bidding process.

On Aug. 13, the county gave the Belford route back to NY Waterway. The county said it selected NY Waterway because they provided the service for cheaper than Seastreak.

"We are excited about our return to serving the people of Monmouth County," said NY Waterway President and CEO Armand Pohan. "Our teams will work hard every day to deliver reliable, convenient and comfortable transportation to Manhattan for commuters and weekend travelers."

NY Waterway provides weekday morning and evening ferry service between Belford in Middletown, NJ, and Downtown Manhattan (Pier 11 / Wall Street and Brookfield Place / WFC) with further direct or free connecting service to Midtown Manhattan (West 39th Street), Paulus Hook in Jersey City and all other NY Waterway terminals.

Weekday Schedule: There are six morning departures from Belford beginning at 5:15 a.m. And five evening return trips from Manhattan and Paulus Hook back to Belford. The full schedules can be accessed at nywaterway.com/Belford

Weekend Schedule: Ferries will depart Belford three times a day, with two evening return departures from Manhattan. (There is no Paulus Hook service on weekends).

Fares: Fare options will include adult one-way fares ($23) and several discounted multi-trip fares (7-day, monthly, 10-trip and 40-trip).

NY Waterway also provides free shuttle bus connections that serve multiple routes from the Midtown Ferry Terminal, including West 57th, West 50th, West 42nd, West 34th Streets and Downtown (12th Avenue) routes.