It’ll be smoother sailing for ferry passengers this summer.
Washington State Ferries says it’s returning to almost full domestic service – three years earlier than planned.
What’s changing and when?
The Seattle/Bremerton route will return to its two-boat schedule starting Sunday, June 15.
The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth “Triangle” route will resume its pre-pandemic three-boat schedule beginning Monday, June 30.
A second vessel will operate on the Port Townsend/Coupeville run every Friday through Monday from July 4 through the end of the route’s shoulder season on Oct. 13.
Also—the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route is getting a new summer schedule. It begins on June 15 and runs through September 20. WSDOT says the revamped seasonal schedule includes a more realistic timetable that will help vessels stay on time. It also makes crewing schedules more manageable, leading to fewer crewing cancellations.
How did this happen?
In early 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson requested that Washington State Ferries focus on service. Originally, service restoration had been on hold until 2029 when the new hybrid-electric ferries are slated to arrive.
With the governor’s direction, their vessel engineering department went to work.
“Thanks to their hard work, we’ll have the 18 vessels we need to add service beginning next month,” a news release states.
The reality of adding service: Patience is needed
WSDOT says it’ll need to crew three more boats daily for the added services. It says it’s working hard on hiring, but the reality is, with more vessels in service – there will be fewer relief crew members available.
This means, there could be an increased risk of short-term cancellations while WSDOT works to hire more people.
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