New York City has halted its commuter ferry services as the city’s famed rivers have started to freeze over.
Authorities decided to suspend the ferries due to the persistent ice accumulation in the East River, the Hudson River, and New York Harbor, they announced.
Following a significant winter storm over the weekend, no immediate timeline has been provided for when ferry services will resume normal operations.
Commuters have been informed that the disruptions “may last for several more days,” according to a statement from NYC Ferry on Tuesday.
The city has been gripped by bitterly cold conditions for several days, with temperatures plummeting into the teens.
The ice buildup has made it unsafe for ferries to operate, preventing New Yorkers from using this mode of transport for their daily commutes.
A ferry captain who has navigated New York Harbor for 16 years called the icy conditions in the rivers ‘nerve–wracking.’
‘You’re moving people from place to place, and you’re navigating through these kind of like ice patch[es] and ice floes,’ Luis Melendez, a riverkeeper patrol captain, told CBS New York.
New York City ferries have been suspended due to continued ice buildup in the East and Hudson rivers and across New York Harbor
The NYC Ferry said Tuesday that the closure caused by the freezing conditions ‘may last for several more days’
The bitter cold is expected to continue into next month, raising questions about how long service will remain suspended.
A service alert posted on the NYC Ferry website Wednesday morning said no boats were operating ‘across all routes due to continued ice in the East and Hudson Rivers and across New York Harbor.’
Service was first suspended on January 25 because of worsening visibility from Winter Storm Fern’s snow.
The statement added: ‘The safety of all crew, passengers, and vessels is of the utmost importance, and NYC Ferry crew continues to monitor evolving waterway conditions and prepare the fleet to ensure service can resume once conditions improve.’
Exasperated New Yorkers took to social media to vent about the ferry service’s suspension.
‘How am I going to get my child to school in the morning?’ one user asked on Instagram.
Another commenter added: ‘Since it’s gonna stay freezing for two more weeks, I guess the ferry’s shutting down until spring.’
More than 7.4million total passengers used the NYC Ferry service last year, per the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
Ice flows formed around ferry piers in the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City
Temperatures in New York City have dropped to dangerously low levels due to the Arctic cold snap
At least 10 New Yorkers died during the winter storm last weekend, according to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani
The ferries operate multiple routes connecting Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, including stops along the East River.
New York has seen below–freezing temperatures since Friday night and could remain that way through at least next Monday.
Subzero wind chills have been reported at night as a result of the Arctic air blowing in from Canada.
At least 10 locals died during the last storm, according to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Not all ferries in the New York City area have been affected, however.
The Staten Island Ferry is operating on its regular schedule, although it is run separately from the NYC Ferry.
From Edgewater, service on NY Waterway has been suspended, with a bus shuttle available to the Port Imperial terminal. Seastreak trips to the West 39th Street terminal have also been halted.
The Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry, which crosses Haverstraw Bay and the Hudson River, has been replaced by a bus since January 20.
Ferry service was initially suspended on January 25 due to the worsening visibility from Winter Storm Fern’s snowy conditions
Another massive snow storm could arrive in NYC this week, raising questions about when the ice will melt
Another winter storm could batter the eastern half of the US this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The dangerous cold will remain, although forecasts are still mixed on whether more ice and snow will land in New York.
Regardless, it appears unlikely that the rivers will begin melting shortly.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the NYC Ferry for further comment.
