Washington ferry service to be restored to pre-pandemic levels by summer, governor says
Washington State Ferries riders got a dose of good news for a change on Thursday. The head of state ferries and Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that ferry service will be fully restored to pre-pandemic levels sometime this summer, except for a long-suspended Sidney, British Columbia route.
Ferguson said the state would pause further hybrid-electric conversions of the largest ferries in the state’s fleet to keep vessels in service. The conversion of the first Jumbo Mark II-class vessel – the Wenatchee – fell far behind schedule last year when workers repeatedly encountered trouble trying to fit the new technology into the existing hull. The 202-car ferry is now slated to return with battery-powered propulsion capability in early summer, though the project is at least $36 million over budget.
“What this means is that with the Wenatchee put back into service – which we anticipate to be in June – we will then have 18 vessels in the water, the number necessary to fully restore domestic service for the first time since 2019,” Ferguson said during a press conference at the downtown Seattle ferry terminal.
Ferguson and the ferry system chief, Steve Nevey, said the Bremerton-Seattle and Port Townsend-Coupeville routes should return this summer to two-boat service and the so-called “triangle route” between Fauntleroy, Vashon Island and Southworth will have steady three-boat service, as was the case before the pandemic.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/03/06/washington-ferry-service-to-be-restored-to-pre-pandemic-levels-by-summer-governor-says/