The
Weehawken was the last ferry to the
West Shore Railroad's
Weehawken Terminal on March 25, 1959, at 1:10 am., ending a century of continuous service from
42nd Street. In 1981
Arthur Edward Imperatore, Sr.,
trucking magnate, purchased a length of the
Weehawken waterfront from the bankrupt
Penn Central for $7.5 million and in 1986 established
New York Waterway, with a route across the river that roughly paralleled the older one. Initially, the
ferry slip at Pier 78 was a makeshift affair with limited, yet increasing ridership. After the
September 11, 2001 attacks on the
World Trade Center destroyed the
PATH terminal located there
cross-Hudson passenger capacity was greatly reduced, and ferry service was expanded to compensate.
NY Waterway borrowed heavily to acquire new vessels to add new routes and add more runs to schedules. City and state agencies contracted the construction of new
ferry terminals to be leased to private operators, of which the West Midtown is one. With the restoration of
rapid transit service, ridership numbers dropped significantly. The
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey brokered a deal to avoid bankruptcy and disruption of service. In 2005, the facility was overhauled to accommodate an increasing demand for ferry service in the
Port of New York and New Jersey and to provide
ferry slips for short haul crossings,
water taxis, and high-speed long-distance service. The 2005 renovation was built by the
New York City Economic Development Corporation. ==Services==