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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

October/November 1999

Ferry Expansion Projects

The water transit system being analyzed as part of the Blueprint calls for adding more high-speed vessels on existing routes from Larkspur, Sausalito, Oakland/Alameda, Richmond and Vallejo to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal, as well as launching as many as 16 possible new ferry lines. These include a network of routes to the ferry terminal from Berkeley/Albany and Martinez/Benicia as well as from Port Sonoma, the Oakland Army Base, Treasure Island, South San Francisco and the San Francisco and Oakland international airports. The nascent Mission Bay development in San Francisco could be served by ferries from Moffett Field, Berkeley, Tiburon and Redwood City. And ferries could ply the Bay from Moffett Field to San Leandro and San Francisco International Airport as well as downtown San Francisco. In the Blueprint's proposed scenario, transbay ferries would operate every 15 to 30 minutes during peak commute periods and every 30 to 60 minutes during nonpeak periods.

Capital costs of establishing the system could total $370 million or more, while annual net operating costs (minus fare revenues) could amount to $63 million. These figures include costs for landside facilities and services, including docks, terminals, parking, access roads and bus shuttles.

The Blueprint analysis is based on a subset of new and upgraded routes proposed in MTC's 1999 Regional Ferry Plan Update and the 1999 final report from the Bay Area Council's Blue Ribbon Task Force for Bay Area Water Transit.
-- Marjorie Blackwell

Promising Ferry Projects*
  • Richmond to San Francisco/Mission Bay/South San Francisco
  • Larkspur to San Francisco (service upgrade)
  • Vallejo to San Francisco (service upgrade)
  • Sausalito to San Francisco (service upgrade)
  • Tiburon to San Francisco/ Mission Bay
Click here to download a map
of Ferry Expansion Projects
in Acrobat format

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