Water Transportation Planning for Eastern Massachusetts: A Strategic Assessment of Passenger Ferry Services

A group of existing, proposed, and potential ferry services is the subject of a comprehensive assessment to assist the strategic planning process of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for its future transportation system. The Volpe Center developed a tool for scoring all of the relevant factors for ferry service, including terminal and infrastructure, access, intermodal connectivity, navigational and operational matters, and environmental concerns. In addition, the assessment accounts for the costs of running the ferry services, and the anticipated passenger demand (per the analysis of the Central Transportation Planning Staff of the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization). The result is a framework for addressing new services and service enhancements for use by the Commonwealth’s transportation decision makers.