New Jersey Transit will charge World Cup fans $150 for a round-trip train ride to MetLife Stadium from Manhattan — nearly 12 times the regular $12.90 fare for the roughly 9-mile trip. The agency announced Friday that the elevated fare was necessary to cover the $62 million cost of transporting fans to the stadium in East Rutherford for eight World Cup matches beginning June 13, with federal grants defraying only $14 million of that expense.
The dramatic price increase has drawn criticism from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, as well as FIFA, which warned that the surcharge could discourage attendance and was without precedent among World Cup host cities. The pricing stands in sharp contrast to most other U.S. host cities, which are keeping transit fares unchanged, and raises questions about how World Cup host costs are distributed between public agencies and the international soccer federation.
NJ Transit said the fare hike was unavoidable cost recovery. “This isn’t price gouging,” Kris Kolluri, the agency’s president and CEO, told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”
Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, rejected that rationale and called on FIFA to shoulder the bill. “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,” she said in a statement.
Tournament Scale and Capacity Pressures
MetLife Stadium will host eight matches during the tournament, including the final on July 19. Transportation officials expect about 40,000 fans to use mass transit for each match, as on-site parking will be largely unavailable — much of the lot will be used for a fan village, shuttle buses, staging areas, and FIFA staff.
The stadium’s NFL tenants — the New York Giants and New York Jets — have faced similar transit pressures before. When MetLife hosted Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, New Jersey Transit struggled to handle an estimated 33,000 passengers leaving the game. Platforms at a transfer station became so congested that some passengers waited hours to board a train.
FIFA’s Unprecedented Objections
FIFA said the New Jersey pricing was without precedent. In a statement Friday, the soccer federation warned that high fares could have a “chilling effect” on attendance and noted that agreements signed with World Cup host cities in 2018 called for free transportation for fans.
“Elevated fares inevitably push fans toward alternative transportation options,” FIFA said. “This increases concerns of congestion, late arrivals, and creates broader ripple effects that ultimately diminish the economic benefit and lasting legacy the entire region stands to gain from hosting the World Cup.”
Most Other Host Cities Maintain Standard Fares
Shuttle buses departing from Midtown Manhattan will charge $80 round-trip and have a capacity of about 10,000 riders. Roughly 5,000 parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall are being sold in advance at $225 each.
Los Angeles is keeping one-way fares at $1.75; Atlanta is locked at $2.50; Houston is charging $1.25 per ride; and Philadelphia’s base subway fare will remain $2.90. Kansas City is running shuttles from around the city to Arrowhead Stadium for $15 round-trip.
Boston is a partial exception. Express buses from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $95. Thousands of fans have already purchased $80 round-trip commuter rail tickets from Boston to the station near Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, roughly 30 miles away. That is four times the standard $20 round-trip fare charged during games and other special events.
Several U.S. host cities have noted that the federal government provided approximately $100 million in transit grants to enhance bus and rail service during the World Cup. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, weighed in on the New Jersey decision earlier this week. “Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me,” she posted on social media.