Encore Boston Harbor Launches New Ferry Service
EVERETT (CBS) - There will be new traffic in and out of Everett as the Encore Boston Harbor casino hotel sets to open next month. Some of those people will travel to the casino by boat.
The casino is now launching details about its new ferry service and you never have to set foot in the casino to use it. They want to get regular commuters on board with the concept as well.
"It's going to be great for the public," said Jim Folk, Encore Boston Transportation Director. "We're going to actually be making connections from the South Shore where the MBTA runs service from Hingham and Hull into Boston and we can go and take those folks over from Boston to the North Shore."
Starting in June, a ferry will run seven days a week from about 7 a.m. to midnight. It will be a triangle route, taking people between the Everett casino, the World Trade Center in the Seaport, and Long Wharf downtown.
"This is 100 percent open to the public," Folk said. "Whether you're coming to our resort or not."
Fares will be between $5 and $7 depending on the route.
Part of the project is to get people to the casino, but also to get people off the road.
"Developing a water route that has boats landing every 20 or 30 minutes from downtown Boston going up to Everett changes the way people look at water transportation," said Scott Smith, president of Boston BoatWorks.
The boats were designed, built, and even crewed by Massachusetts companies. "This is a boat that's designed in Massachusetts by Zurn Yacht Design, and built in Massachusetts, the operator Bay State Cruises," Smith said.
They are the first ferries Boston BoatWorks of Charlestown has ever made. They're taking the same craftsmanship of their luxury pleasure boats and applying it to ferries.
