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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Sky-high ticket prices won’t be the only thing emptying the wallets of soccer fans attending World Cup matches at some U.S. venues this spring.
Fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City can expect to shell out $150 for a round-trip train fare for each match, transportation officials confirmed Friday.
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That’s nearly 12 times the regular $12.90 fare for the roughly 15-minute, 9-mile (14-kilometer) ride from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On-site parking won’t be available for most fans, so New Jersey officials anticipate that around 40,000 fans will use mass transit for each match.
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.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has suggested the upcharge was necessary to ensure that her state’s commuters weren’t stuck with a “tab for years to come” for hosting the World Cup on its return to the U.S. for the first time since 1994.
NJ Transit officials said it would cost $62 million to transport fans to and from the stadium over the duration of the tournament, and that outside grants had defrayed only $14 million of those anticipated expenses.
Charging $150 to each of the estimated 40,000 fans expected to take the rails before each game essentially offsets the Garden State’s projected $48 million transit bill, according to NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri.
“This isn’t price gouging,” he told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”
Transit prices in Boston also will be high
Taking public transit to World Cup matches in Boston’s suburbs will also be costly.
Express buses from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $95, officials announced this week.
And thousands of fans have already snapped up $80 round-trip train tickets from Boston to the commuter rail station near the stadium. That’s four times the $20 riders are normally charged for a round-trip ticket during game days and other special events. Unlike MetLife, Gillette isn’t a short hop from downtown. The stadium is located in Foxborough, a town some 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Boston.
Other cities are keeping fares the same
Other World Cup host cities have pledged to keep their transit fares unchanged, noting that the U.S. government has provided some $100 million in transit grants to host cities to provide enhanced bus and rail service.
In Los Angeles, one-way fares will remain $1.75; in Atlanta, they’re locked at $2.50; in Houston, a single ride will still cost $1.25 and in Philadelphia the base fare for the subway will remain $2.90.
Kansas City is running shuttles from locations around the city to Arrowhead Stadium that cost just $15 roundtrip. It’s also offering a free bus from the airport to downtown.
Kolluri said the fundamental difference with some of those cities is that their stadiums are located within city limits with more transit options than MetLife’s more suburban surroundings.
New Jersey’s governor, a Democrat who took office in January, said her administration also inherited an agreement where FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, contributed “$0 for transportation” while leaving the state’s perpetually cash-strapped transit agency “stuck with a $48 million bill.”
“As I have said repeatedly, FIFA should cover the cost of transporting its fans,” Sherrill said Friday. “If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day.”
FIFA says it shouldn’t pay
FIFA has bristled at the suggestion, noting that the agreements signed with World Cup host cities back in 2018 called for free transportation for fans to all matches. It also argued that no other major event held at MetLife has been required to pay for fan transportation.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach today on fan transportation,” the organization said in a statement Thursday, as news reports of the reported fare began to circulate. “FIFA worked for years with host cities on transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.”
The huge increase in the fare to MetLife also drew an objection from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me,” the Democrat posted on X earlier this week. The surge pricing was first reported by sports outlet The Athletic.
Alternatives to taking the train to MetLife Stadium will be almost as pricey.
A shuttle bus fleet with a capacity for about 10,000 riders will set off from the midtown Manhattan bus terminal and other locations for $80 roundtrip. Some 5,000 parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall are also being sold in advance, currently priced at $225.
