The current boat has a 49-person capacity and Metro Link wants the Coast Guard to approve larger boats, Mr. Nelson said. Metro Link will build boats that can carry more people, but it must have the approval to increase capacity, he said. Therefore, the new boats, will be sturdier and more reliable, he said. Among the few changes passengers will notice are a public address system and a storage container for lifejackets. A new dock in at the Celebration Cruiselines in Moline, near 26th Street, will be part of a new passenger area that is to include restrooms, food and souvenirs, Mr. Nelson said.
Celebration operates the water taxi.
The second new dock will be for a future landing in East Moline, at The Quarter development, Mr. Nelson said. There also is a plan for a new dock in Bettendorf, at the Lady Luck Casino, to replace one at Leach Park. Metro Link is unlikely to start service to East Moline next summer, so the second boat probably will be used as a backup or in simultaneous use, if the passenger numbers grow significantly, Mr. Nelson said. The Davenport Levee Commission has asked Metro Link to consider offering the service closer to downtown. The other two existing docks are at the Village of East Davenport and at John Deere Commons in Moline.