CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN LEADS CHARGE TO SAVE NEWBURGH-BEACON FERRY, RALLIES WITH LOCAL LEADERS TO DEMAND BETTER OF MTA FOR HUDSON VALLEY COMMUTERS
Congressman Pat Ryan Leads Charge to Save Newburgh-Beacon Ferry, Rallies with Local Leaders to Demand Better of MTA for Hudson Valley Commuters
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) plans to permanently discontinue the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry – which provides crucial cross-river access to Metro-North train lines – ripping the rug out from under Hudson Valley commuters and striking a blow to tourism and economic development across the region
Congressman Ryan immediately demanded that the MTA restore services, and slammed their “reckless abandonment” of Hudson Valley commuters
Now, after hearing from more than 200 commuters and bipartisan electeds at a “Save the Ferry Rally,” Ryan is leading local elected officials from across the Hudson Valley to continue his push for a full reversal by the MTA
NEWBURGH, NY – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan is continuing his fierce fight to save the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry. After the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) announced plans to permanently discontinue the ferry earlier this month, Congressman Ryan immediately sounded the alarm on their “reckless abandonment” of Hudson Valley commuters. He joined more than 200 community members and bipartisan elected officials in demanding the MTA reverse course and save the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry. Now, in advance of today’s MTA board meeting, Congressman Ryan is leading bipartisan local elected officials from across the Hudson Valley, slamming the MTA’s betrayal of public trust, lifting up the voices of the people they represent and demanding better for Hudson Valley commuters and communities.
“The closure of the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry is yet another example of our Hudson Valley community paying into a NYC-centric system and getting almost nothing in return,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “The Hudson Valley is rightly outraged – the MTA should be adding more transit options and lowering costs, not taking away the limited options we do have. The MTA discontinuing this ferry service – and ignoring the impassioned, continuous pleas of our community – is a reckless abandonment of the people it’s supposed to serve, turning its back on the Hudson Valley yet again,while happily taking our tax dollars. Hudson Valley commuters deserve better than this betrayal of public trust and I’ll fight like hell with leaders across our entire community to get this service restored, whatever it takes.”
“People count on that ferry to get to and from work, school, and for entertainment,” said Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus. “Losing that access makes life more difficult, and expensive, for a lot of folks. NYS and the MTA need to step up and support these individuals. The impact to their livelihoods, as well as the economic and tourism related ramifications are significant.”
“Hundreds of Hudson Valley residents are making it loud and clear: the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry must be restored. This ferry is more than just a mode of transportation — its abrupt cancellation disrupts daily commutes, undercuts local businesses, harms tourism, and removes a unique regional connection that has long linked our communities to opportunity,” said State Senator Rob Rolison. “The MTA cannot continue to ask for more from our region while delivering less to Orange County and the greater Hudson Valley. We stand with the ferry. We stand with the community. And we will not stop advocating until this essential service is not only restored but strengthened to meet the needs of our growing region.”
“Orange County pays over $38 million to the MTA each year with little to show for it,” said Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson. “Restoring the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry is not too much to ask."
“People across the Hudson Valley rely on and deserve to trust in consistent service from the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry – but this fight is about more than just that,” said Dutchess County Legislature Minority Leader Yvette Valdés Smith. “Members of our community have been left behind by the MTA for far too long. I am grateful for Congressman Ryan’s leadership in bringing us together on this important issue, because we have to make it clear that we’re not going to accept this treatment any longer.”
“After the people of Dutchess County were hit with an increase in their MTA sales tax, the first act of the MTA was to cancel our ferry to Newburgh. It’s no wonder people are feeling slighted,” said Dutchess County Comptroller Dan Aymar-Blair. “I will also say, as a resident of Beacon, that taking away our beloved ferry is equivalent to taking away our other cultural treasures like the Howland Center or the Memorial Building. We thought the ferry was untouchable. Bring back the ferry, advertise it to increase ridership, and make it all-electric.”
“This fight goes beyond Newburgh – it’s about demanding fair treatment across the entire Hudson Valley,” said Orange County Legislator Genesis Ramos. “People in our community rely on the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry, and the MTA at large, for safe, reliable transportation. Ending this ferry service will have inequitable and negative impacts on our community, which already faces limited transportation options, and I’m proud to stand with leaders across our community to save this vital mode of transportation.”
"The Newburgh Beacon Ferry has been a lifeline for the City of Newburgh, a community with amongst the highest levels of unemployment in the region. We should be investing in ways to expand ridership, increasing hours of operation or including weekend service, not suspending the program without letting anyone know," said Orange County Legislator Kevindaryán Luján. "We have not seen any advertising or any attempt to enhance or improve ridership in decades and they wonder why the numbers have dwindled since covid. It has been a self created issue that they could have addressed. We are now doing it for them. Over 100 people have shown up just to rally against the termination of this program at every rally. As river communities our connection to the ferry system runs deep and we want our fair share of funds to help bring back the ferry service and improve transportation options for our region."
“I’m joining my colleagues across the Hudson Valley because the people we represent have made it clear: we have to save the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry,” said Newburgh City Councilor Ramona Monteverde. “The community deserves better, I strongly urge the MTA to reconsider this decision and to meaningfully engage the public. The ferry is more than a convenience – it's a critical link to employment, education and essential services. Ending this service without alternative transportation disproportionately harms working class-residents and erodes trust in our public institutions. I am grateful to Congressman Ryan for his leadership on this issue, and want to assure my Newburgh community that we absolutely will not give up this fight.”
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry provides a crucial cross-river connection for commuters seeking convenient, efficient, and reliable access to Metro-North trains. Discontinuing this ferry service permanently will be incredibly disruptive to commuters and cut off Hudson Valley residents from yet another public transportation mode, as well as harm regional tourism and economic development; further isolating Newburgh and Beacon from tourists that travel north from the City and the capital that they bring to our region.
For decades, the MTA has systematically failed the Hudson Valley. In addition to the MTA’s uninformed Congestion Pricing plan that puts an undue burden on Hudson Valley taxpayers, there isn’t a single MTA station in Ulster County, there’s no one-seat service from Orange County to NYC, and limited service in Dutchess County. Congressman Ryan has consistently fought for adequate public transportation in the Hudson Valley and demanded better of the MTA.
Signers of the letter include:
- Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus
- Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino
- State Senator Rob Rolison
- Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson
- Dutchess County Legislature Minority Leader Yvette Valdés Smith
- Dutchess County Comptroller Dan Aymar-Blair
- Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey
- Orange County Legislator Genesis Ramos
- Orange County Legislator Kevindaryán Luján
- Newburgh City Councilor Ramona Monteverde
The full text of Congressman Ryan’s letter to MTA CEO Janno Leiber, submitted as his public comment for today’s MTA board meeting, is included below:
Dear Mr. Lieber,
We write today to express our continued frustration over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) decision to discontinue the Newburgh-Beacon ferry service, and disregard for the continued, direct response from our Hudson Valley community. We are coming together in a bipartisan way to urge MTA to reverse course and restore this service.
Since the general public was made aware of this change last month, the community response has been resounding, unified and unwavering: do not take away our ferry. We joined hundreds of our constituents at a rally to save the ferry in Newburgh recently, and heard directly from our neighbors that they too, demand to see this service restored. Permanently discontinuing the ferry will disrupt our constituents' commutes, harm our community’s economic development, and rip away a special Hudson Valley feature that connects our community in a way that no other transportation mode can.
The MTA tax we pay is more than just dollars out of our pockets, it is a down payment on the kind of transportation network that we want – and deserve – to have access to. It is an investment in MTA services, a display of public trust in the transportation system that is responsible for serving our community’s needs. This trust has been broken one too many times for Hudson Valley residents. Our voices will be heard.
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry has deep local roots in the Hudson Valley. The ferry provides a convenient and reliable connecting service that our constituents rely on. To take it away would be an immense disservice to our constituents.
Sincerely,
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