Orange County backs $100,000 ferry pilot to revive Newburgh-Beacon service

Orange County’s industrial development agency has pledged up to $100,000 to help restart Newburgh-Beacon ferry service, a move that could turn a long-shot revival effort into a real weekend pilot if organizers can match the money with additional public and private support.

The commitment, which would flow through the Orange County Funding Corp., gives the Save the Ferry Coalition a concrete boost after a difficult fundraising stretch. Organizers want to launch a seasonal pilot as early as June and are still seeking matching funds from Dutchess County and other state and local officials before boats can run.

Backers are pitching the idea as more than nostalgia. The coalition envisions a free boat running 10 hours a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from mid-June through October, with the goal of testing whether weekend service can draw riders, support Beacon and Newburgh waterfront businesses, and reconnect the two sides of the Hudson River in a way that benefits commuters and tourists alike. Orange County economic-development officials have said the route could matter to the county as a whole, not just to ferry advocates in Newburgh and Beacon.

The proposal arrives after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority permanently discontinued the Newburgh-Beacon ferry in 2025, saying low ridership and storm damage to the Beacon dock had made the service unsustainable. MTA President Justin Vonashek said the ferry had fallen to an average of 62 riders a day in 2025, even though the agency’s 2024 annual ridership report showed Newburgh-Beacon Ferry ridership was up 6.6% from 2023. The same report said the three Metro-North connecting services carried about 329,000 riders in 2024.

For daily riders, the MTA has already shifted to a different stopgap. The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Shuttle began Jan. 2, 2026, replacing the Ferry Rail Link substitute bus service, and the agency said the shuttle would offer complimentary rides throughout 2026.

Supporters of the ferry say the stakes go beyond convenience. The route has deep roots, with historical sources tracing the franchise to 1743, when Alexander Colden received a royal charter for the crossing. The ferry made its last run on Nov. 3, 1963, one day after the original Newburgh-Beacon Bridge opened, closing a chapter that many in the Hudson Valley still see as part of the region’s identity.

The revival drive has also drawn political pushback on the ferry’s shutdown. In December 2025, the Save the Ferry Coalition said it had delivered nearly 2,000 expressions of support to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, including more than 1,700 signatures, letters from businesses and organizations, and formal resolutions from Orange County, Dutchess County, the town of Newburgh and the city of Beacon. Rep. Pat Ryan criticized the closure as harmful to Hudson Valley commuters and tourism, while Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said there should have been a better plan before service ended.

If the funding comes together, the June pilot would become a live test of whether weekend ferry service can again pay off for waterfront merchants, train riders and taxpayers, or whether the region is still looking at another temporary rescue across the Hudson.