LYNN — In January, the legislative delegation of state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Reps. Jenny Armini, Dan Cahill, Peter Capano, and Donald Wong went to newly sworn-in Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll to tell them the North Shore was not ready for the closure of Sumner Tunnel.
They “sprung into action” immediately, Crighton said.
“We also told them that our commuters needed mitigation, they needed alternatives. We looked to the rail, we looked to the sea,” Crighton said. “I think [they] came up with the best plan possible: free Blue Line, reduced-fare Commuter Rail – more frequency on both – free parking, and our beloved ferry service restored at a reasonable price.”
To welcome the Lynn-to-Boston ferry service, Crighton, Armini, Capano, and Cahill were joined by Driscoll, Mayor Jared Nicholson, Congressman Seth Moulton, state Secretary of Transportation Gina Fiandaca, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) General Manager Phillip Eng, and MBTA Board of Directors member Thomas McGee for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Many of those who spoke said that while the ferry was one of the mitigation measures for the Sumner Tunnel closure, it is here to stay. In fact, the MBTA signed a two-year lease with the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) for the use of EDIC/Lynn’s pier, terminal, and parking lot for the Lynn-to-Boston commuter ferry.
When the lease was signed in May, EDIC/Lynn Executive Director Jim Cowdell said that there will be an option for a three-year extension in the lease.
“[The ferry is] a solution long-term for many of the issues that we all care about, that we all prioritize,” Crighton said. “When we think about housing production, when we think about connecting workforce, when we think about economic development, when we think about traffic congestion, this touches all of those.”
There will be ten trips per weekday, five each way, with the earliest ferry leaving Lynn at 6 a.m. and the latest ferry arriving in Lynn at 7:44 p.m. The ferry will not run on weekends.
From Lynn, the ferry will depart from Blossom Street Pier. When coming from Route 1A North (Lynnway), turn right onto Blossom Street Extension, and the pier is located at the end of the street on the left.
Parking at the Lynn pier is free.
From Boston, the ferry will depart from Long Wharf (South) gate four, which is near the Aquarium stop on the Blue Line.
While the Sumner Tunnel is closed from July 5 to Aug. 31 ferry fares will be $2.40 one-way. Come September, fares will rise to $7 one-way.
Driscoll said that as a person who commutes from the North Shore to Boston almost every day, it is “critical” to have other modes of transportation.
“We’re so fortunate as part of our administration to be able to, frankly, utilize the impact on the Sumner Tunnel to relaunch the Lynn ferry with all of you, and it has been, I would say, a labor of love for a number of years,” Driscoll said.
Bringing the ferry to Lynn has been in the works since the mid-2000s. On Cowdell’s second day of work at EDIC/Lynn in 2006, he said McGee came into his office to talk about the ferry.
McGee, who is also a former mayor of Lynn, said the idea actually came to him around 2001 when he took a ferry from New London, Conn. to Martha’s Vineyard with EDIC/Lynn Board member Ted Smith.
“We came back and said, ‘We need this in Lynn,’” McGee said. “This is a great opportunity to prove that this isn’t just for the tunnel closure, this is a long-term opportunity for water transportation not only for Lynn, but for the region.”
With the revival of the ferry, Eng said he is proud of the partnerships that worked together to bring the ferry back.
“It’s an example of how the T is demonstrating a strong commitment to riders providing alternative viable, safe, reliable service and serving the communities,” Eng said.
