PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Commerce Corp. and the R.I. Department of Transportation announced Friday the return of expanded ferry service between Providence and Newport.
Service will include four trips Sunday through Thursday and five trips on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays, an increase of one trip each day. Six more weeks of service also have been added to the 2017 schedule which begins on Friday, June 16 and ends on Sunday, Oct. 1.
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RIDOT also has partnered with Amtrak on a program that will allow passengers riding Amtrak trains to purchase an Amtrak ticket that includes passage on the ferry with the hopes it will attract more out-of-state visitors and reduce congestion.
“We all know Narragansett Bay is the state’s greatest natural asset, and last summer proved without a doubt that utilizing it for ferry service connecting Providence and Newport is a win all the way around for Rhode Island,” RIDOT Direction Peter Alviti Jr. said.
RIDOT initiated the ferry service in July 2016. In its inaugural year, the service provided more than 33,000 trips. Ridership was approximately 20 percent higher than expected. Additionally, nearly 20 percent of all trips were sellouts.
Tickets are available for purchase online at the ferry’s website, seastreak.com, and will be available in early June for purchase at the ferry terminal at 25 India St. Once service begins, tickets will also be available at the Newport terminal at Perrotti Park, 39 America’s Cup Ave. Officials urge riders to buy advanced tickets particularly for weekend trips.
Chris Bergenheim is a PBN staff writer
