Why Is The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry No Longer Running?

After years in service, Hudson Valley commuters are saying goodbye to the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry.

What's Going on With the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry?

Commuter who use the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry to cross the Hudson River have had to make a change to their daily travel.

Since January 2025, the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry service has been suspended due to "critical dock infrastructure damage." Acting Sr. Vice President of Operations at Metro-North Railroad, Evan Zucarelli, touched upon the concerns over the Newburgh Beacon Ferry during the June Metro-North Committee meeting.

Wikipedia.org

During the meeting Zucarelli stated "the initial suspension was triggered by typical winter river icing" however further assessments "revealed significant damage" that sealed the future of the ferry.

Bus Service to Replace Newburgh-Beacon Ferry for The Rest of 2025

During the committee meeting Zucarelli shared that the significant damage would require "long-term solutions."

Zucarelli continued, stating "following a comprehensive review of the program's usage and cost it's been determined that the ferry will not return to service."

The replacement bus services is scheduled to run until the end of 2025 free of charge.

Adding to the damage of the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry dock, was also declining ridership that according to Zucarelli had been on a steady decline even before the 2020 pandemic.

Users had dropped to just 27% of its peak with future with further declines observed throughout the year.

With that being said, both Newburgh and Beacon are "exploring opportunities to repurpose the ferry’s infrastructure."

You can watch the full committee meeting below:

Dutchess County Assemblyman Calls For Gov. to Halt Ferry Shutdown

After news started to spread of the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry shutdown, the public shared their concerns on social media.

NYS Assemblyman Anil Beephan from Dutchess County shared a letter he sent directly to the Governor Hochu in Albany. On social media Beephan writes "The MTA is once again failing the Hudson Valley. First, congestion pricing. Now, shutting down the Newburgh–Beacon ferry with zero public input."

You can read the full letter here:

What do YOU think? Should the MTA bring back the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry?

All Aboard! Take a Scenic Train Ride Through the Southern Adirondacks

All aboard! Take a beautiful scenic trip on the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway. This train line was originally built in 1864 by the Adirondack Company. The line was refurbished and begins at the Corinth Station and runs through the Southern Adirondacks region. The standard coach is a historic locomotive that was first built in 1943. Passengers can ride in first class, standard coach, or the open-air seating car that features picnic tables. This train runs on Saturdays and Sundays. Each scenic ride is ninety minutes. There are themed rides too including fall train tours.

Gallery Credit: www.corinthtrain.com, Marc Glucksman, Jacob Galvin, Jennifer Al-Beck, River Rail Photos

11 Great Train Station Restaurants in Upstate NY! Tasty and Historic!

This is a great gallery of nostalgic restaurants found in old train stations (or built because there was a train station next door). Many of these buildings got their start in the 1800s.

Just reading the history linked to each of these restaurants reveals the positively dizzying activity of local train routes in the past. Rail lines criss-crossed every part of Upstate NY, and virtually every small town had access to a train ride, for personal use or business.

You will like these photos of what folks have done to restore, revitalize and caretake these important and historic structures.

And the restaurants!

Some serve diner foods, and others are 5-star fine dining destinations. All are delicious!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio