What to Know
- Unprecedented crowds are expected for World Cup matches at MetLife this summer. NJ Transit says it’s facing nearly $50 million in added costs. The governor has said she wants FIFA to pay, but soccer’s governing body isn’t budging
- NJ Transit announced Thursday that the cost of a round-trip ticket to MetLife Stadium on World Cup match days will cost $105, down from the $150 it was initially announced to be. Bus tickets to the stadium will cost $80.
- NJ Transit has confirmed there will be special tickets and that a diversion plan will be implemented at Penn Station on match days.
After considerable (and understandable) blowback from the initial price of a train ticket to MetLife Stadium for World Cup games, New Jersey Transit announced the cost of a ticket will be reduced by at least 30%.
Thursday’s announcement means the price of a rail ticket to the East Rutherford stadium will be $105 — still a steep price for a ticket that typically costs $13, but also significantly less than the $150 it was initially slated for in April.
A spokesperson for Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office said that after FIFA refused to contribute funds to provide more affordable public transit options, the governor instructed NJ Transit to “seek private and non-taxpayer dollars” in order to help reduce the fare.
“The Governor appreciates all the companies that have already stepped up to lower the costs for ticket holders. She will continue to ensure the World Cup is an experience that benefits fans and all New Jerseyans,” the spokesperson said.
The tickets, which are non-transferrable and non-refundable, will be available starting May 13. Only ticket holders will be able to purchase the roundtrip tickets, which are only being sold on NJ Transit’s mobile app.
The transit agency is planning to move more than 78,000 spectators for each match at New York New Jersey Stadium (the World Cup does not allow for corporate-sponsored names, hence the stadium’s temporary name change). There will be 40,000 roundtrip tickets available each match day, and the tickets won’t be available the day of at station ticket offices or vending machines.
“Governor Sherrill committed that she would not impose any financial burden on New Jersey commuters and taxpayers for FIFA related transportation costs. Understanding how important it is for New Jersey to showcase the state to the world, she asked NJ TRANSIT to find private sponsorships and other sources to reduce the cost of the ticket,” the agency said in a statement.
NJ Transit previously has said everyone coming from New York City and looking to take the train to the stadium must board at Penn Station.
Fans coming from other areas in New Jersey will be able to buy tickets for “specific time periods” to board trains going to MetLife, and will be directed to Secaucus Junction or Hoboken Terminal. Tickets will be checked before boarding the trains to the stadium, and those transferring at Secaucus Junction will be directed to board connecting service.
Bus tickets to the stadium will also be available, for $80. Those tickets, which went on sale in April, will provide service to and from Port Authority Bus Terminal or the Midtown East Shuttle pick-up (east of Grand Central) in NYC. For those in New Jersey, the bus shuttle service will operate as a park-and-ride from the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
While trying to explain why transportation to the games was set to be so expensive, NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri denied at a press conference in April that they were taking advantage of customers who have few other alternatives to get to the stadium
“This isn’t price gouging,” he told reporters in April. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”
The initial price of $150 was set to be about 12 times more expensive than the ticket usually costs; now it will cost about eight times as much. It will still cost a family of four $420 to just get back and forth from the stadium to see a match.
For those not looking to take public transit to the matches, there will be limited and supplemental rideshare options on match days. Rideshare service will be managed in order to reduce congestion near MetLife, NJ Transit said, and will operate through a designated drop-off spot at nearby Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment — the sportsbook and horse racing track at the sports complex.
A limited amount of premium parking will also be offered at the American Dream Mall on matchdays, according to NJ Transit. The parking will only be available through advance purchase, and those who plan to use it are advised to arrive early due to expected heavy traffic conditions.
There is no general parking on stadium property on match days. There will be no options for private bus or charters.
The home stadium for both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the tournament final on July 19. Group stage matches for soccer powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany and England, along with other nations, begin June 13.
Impacts on NY-Penn Station
Anyone not going to games can still anticipate impacts if they use NJ Transit.
The agency said some trains scheduled around peak arrival and departure windows for matches will be “temporarily diverted or adjusted” in order to support service to and from the stadium.
For those who need to go in or out of Penn Station, expect big changes as well. NJ Transit said there will be no outbound rail service from the Manhattan transit hub for commuters starting four hours prior to kickoff. Trains traveling into Penn Station during this four-hour period will operate normally.
Conversely, the three hours after each match, NJ Transit said rail service to New York-Penn Station on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line will end at Newark Penn Station. Those looking to continue onto NYC can transfer to PATH trains. Rail service out of New York-Penn Station will operate normally at that time.
The transit agency said commuters with rail tickets going to and from New York can get transfers to alternatives such as PATH trains at 33rd Street or NJ Transit buses at Port Authority at no additional cost.
Anyone who must travel between June 22-30 will be able to buy discounted tickets, according to NJ Transit. As for anyone else, the advice from the transit agency and local governments is to avoid non-essential travel on match days.
Transit costs at other host cities
New York/New Jersey isn’t the only host city where the cost of transit to the games has become an issue.
In Boston, a round-trip ticket for the bus will cost $95, more than the MBTA’s special express train service, which already prompted an outcry, since the $80 fare to get to the stadium in Foxboro and back is several times higher than it typically is.
But in Philadelphia, a spokesperson for SEPTA said there would be no increase in fares to get to the World Cup games there, adding that most, if not all, of the added operating costs would be “covered with a recently awarded federal grant.”
Atlanta and Houston are also offering affordable public transportation to the games played in those cities, saying there will be no increases, according to FIFA. Los Angeles revealed a plan that would cost fans $3.50 round trip.
MetLife Stadium — which is losing its name for the duration of the soccer tournament — will host eight World Cup matches between June 13 and July 19. The last match date is also the FIFA World Cup 26 Final.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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