2 Brooklyn Stops Added To Year-Round Governor's Island Ferry

BROOKLYN, NY — Come Monday, Brooklynites will have more ways than ever before to check out Governors Island.

The city and Trust for Governors Island announced this week that a new daily, year-round ferry service will include two new stops in Brooklyn, one in Sunset Park and another in Red Hook, which first launched temporarily during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new stops will be added to the "South Brooklyn Route," which also includes a stop in DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6. The ferry will stop at Governor's Island between the Sunset Park and Red Hook boarding spot.

"With fer­ry stops added in Red Hook and Sun­set Park, more of our fam­i­lies will be able to enjoy Gov­er­nor’s Island and all that it offers, espe­cial­ly dur­ing the sum­mer months,” Coun­cil Mem­ber Alexa Avilés said about the news. “The fer­ry sys­tem is just a piece of pro­vid­ing reli­able pub­lic trans­porta­tion in our dis­trict and around the city"

The expanded ferry routes come after local officials pushed last year to make a stop set up at Red Hook's Atlantic Basin during the pandemic permanent.

The stop had become a popular option among residents in the area, who have limited transit options, and an economic driver for the neighborhood, Community Board 6 members said.

The ferry expansion is the latest step in further opening up the former military installation-turned-into-park to the public. In November, Governors Island opened to the public year-round for the first time.

Also this week, the Trust announced that visitors can bring their dogs to the island for the first time.

NYC Fer­ry ser­vice to Gov­er­nors Island on the South Brook­lyn route will oper­ate week­days and non-sum­mer week­ends and sup­ple­ment dai­ly fer­ries from Low­er Man­hat­tan oper­at­ed by the Trust, according to officials. On sum­mer week­ends, NYC Fer­ry will have a shut­tle from Pier 11 in Low­er Man­hat­tan and the Trust will run its shut­tle from Brook­lyn Bridge Park-Pier 6 and Red Hook.

Officials also noted that the South Brooklyn route will change once the NYC Ferry finishes building its new Coney Island route this year. When that is completed, Bay Ridge will become part of the Coney Island Route and the South Brooklyn route will end at Governor's Island.

Find out more about the routes here.