$13 train fare spikes to $150 for World Cup fans attending matches in New Jersey

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.

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 games 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.

“This isn’t price gouging,” NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”

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 World Cup host cities, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia, 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.

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. Houston, which is hosting seven World Cup matches, said it has added buses and train cars to serve fans, but intends to keep fares at current levels: $1.25 for buses and light rail trains and park-and-ride options ranging from $2 to $4.50.

But New Jersey's governor, a Democrat who took office in January, said her administration 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.”

“FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one,” Sherrill said in a social media post Wednesday.

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 the games at MetLife Stadium will be almost as pricey. A limited number of parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall are being sold in advance, currently priced at $225.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo