Ferry Schedule Changes Take Effect January 23

Hingham direct service and all Charlestown ferry service temporarily suspended.

Weekday Hingham/Hull service will operate with reduced frequency.

The MBTA is announcing today that ferry schedule changes will take effect on January 23, 2021, as approved by the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) in December 2020. The changes include the temporary suspension of all Charlestown (F4) service, the temporary suspension of direct Hingham (F1) ferry service, and reduced weekday Hingham/Hull ferry service frequency. These changes are part of Forging Ahead, the MBTA’s plan to preserve transit access and quality of service available to transit-critical customers and were approved last month along with other service adjustments to other modes of travel in the MBTA system. These short-term service changes for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) help match service levels with current and near-term low ridership demand.

For a full and complete listing of all upcoming service changes, including all changes to bus routes, Commuter Rail lines, and subway frequency, please visit mbta.com/ForgingAhead.

With ferry ridership approximately 12% of pre-COVID levels, these changes in ferry service effective January 23, 2021, aim to align service with the lower ridership levels experienced during the pandemic. On January 23, 2021, the following changes will occur to ferry service:

Direct Charlestown (F4) and Hingham (F1) ferry service will be temporarily suspended.
Weekday Hingham/Hull service will operate with reduced frequency. A total of 17 weekday trips to Boston will make stops from Hingham to Long Wharf (nine trips directly to Long Wharf with two trips also stopping at Hull for a total of 11) and from Hull to Long Wharf (six direct trips total) with the first trip from Hingham at 5:40 AM, the first trip from Hull at 6 AM, the last trip from Hingham at 7 PM, and the last trip from Hull at 4:20 PM. Seventeen weekday return trips to Hingham/Hull will make stops between Long Wharf, Hull, and Hingham with the first trip from Long Wharf to Hingham at 6:30 AM and the last trip between Long Wharf, Hull, and Hingham at 8 PM.
There will be no weekend Hingham/Hull ferry service.

View upcoming Hingham/Hull schedule effective January 23, 2021

The FMCB will assess service needs again on all modes by no later than March 15, 2021, and will allocate additional resources to meet ridership demand if feasible. The timing of all service restoration will also depend on public health guidance (including guidance on the continued need for social distancing) and the timing of the Commonwealth’s post-vaccination re-opening plan.

The MBTA and FMCB continue to discuss how the MBTA will re-add, rebuild, and increase service. Ridership will be monitored with MBTA staff returning to the FMCB every month to show where ridership stands compared to service planning scenarios. Other data sources will also be monitored, including passenger surveys, employer surveys, roadway data, general travel data, and economic recovery planning. FY22 service levels will be planned beginning in February/March 2021 as part of FY22 budget process.

The MBTA’s Forging Ahead initiative aims to preserve access and quality of service for transit-critical communities and to match service to existing ridership levels. Ferry ridership is approximately 12% of its pre-COVID levels. As part of its Forging Ahead initiative, the MBTA organized a months-long process to solicit the public’s input, including more than 7,000 comments from riders and stakeholders and which was used to shape the final plan approved by the FMCB.