NJ Transit Drops World Cup Train Fare to $105 After Public Backlash

NJ Transit will cut its World Cup round-trip rail fare to MetLife Stadium from $150 to $105, the agency confirmed Thursday — a roughly 30 percent reduction announced after weeks of public criticism over the original price tag. Tickets go on sale May 13, are capped at 40,000 per match, and must be purchased in advance with a specific boarding time.

CEO Kris Kolluri said the discount was made possible by private sponsorships and other non-taxpayer sources brought in at the direction of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who has publicly argued that FIFA — not New Jersey commuters — should foot the bill for moving fans the 18 miles between New York Penn Station and the East Rutherford stadium. The agency has not disclosed the names of the sponsors or how much of the projected $48 million in tournament-related transportation and security costs the new funding offsets.

"I am pleased we are able to reduce the price by at least 30 percent and bring the cost down to $105 per ticket."

— Kris Kolluri, NJ Transit CEO

The same trip costs $12.90 on a normal day — and the math still rankles. A family of four traveling round-trip from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium will now spend $420 on rail tickets alone, before any match ticket, food, or merchandise. By comparison, host cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston have kept their public transit fares unchanged for the tournament.

FIFA, which had warned earlier that the original $150 fare could have a "chilling effect" on attendance, did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday's announcement.

By the numbers

• Original World Cup round-trip fare: $150
• Revised round-trip fare: $105
• Standard round-trip fare on the same route: $12.90
• Sanctioned fan shuttle bus (round-trip): $80
• Per-match rail capacity: 40,000 passengers
• Projected NJ Transit World Cup operations cost: $48 million

What still applies

The fare reduction is the only major change to the regional mobility plan announced in April. Everything else international fans need to know — and that is laid out in detail in our complete MetLife transit guide — remains in place:

• Tickets must be purchased in advance. Rail tickets for World Cup matches will not be sold at stations or at vending machines, will not be transferable, and will be tied to specific boarding windows. The on-sale date is May 13.
• All Manhattan-bound fans must board at New York Penn Station. Fans coming from elsewhere in New Jersey will be routed through Secaucus Junction or Hoboken Terminal with connecting service to the Meadowlands.
• Penn Station will partially close for four hours before each match, sources told CBS News New York.
• Trains to Manhattan that aren't World Cup service will terminate at Newark Penn Station or Newark Broad Street for up to three hours after kickoff to prevent a repeat of the 2014 Super Bowl backup at the Midtown train hall.
• PATH will cross-honor NJ Transit tickets and add service on June 22 and June 30, when match times overlap with weekday commuting hours.

No parking, and don't walk

The agency is still urging fans not to drive. There is no public parking at MetLife for World Cup matches, and only sanctioned shuttle and bus operators will be allowed to drop passengers near the stadium. Walking to the venue is both dangerous and prohibited under the security perimeter, Kolluri has said.

For fans willing to skip the train, NJ Transit's sanctioned shuttle bus from designated pick-up points to MetLife is priced at $80 round-trip — meaningfully cheaper than rail, but with limited departure locations and capacity. Attendees who don't take rail or the official shuttle will need to use FIFA-sponsored "VIP" transport, arrange a drop-off, or pay for parking at the neighboring American Dream complex.

The geography of where you stay matters more than ever under these rules. Visitors weighing Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Jersey City hotels should now factor a $105 rail ticket — or an $80 shuttle seat — into the per-person cost of every match they plan to attend.

The unresolved politics

Sherrill's office has emphasized that this fare cut is bridge financing, not a long-term answer. Spokesperson Steve Sigmund said the governor "appreciates all the companies that have already stepped up to lower the costs for ticket holders" — language that keeps the door open to further reductions if more sponsors come forward before kickoff. FIFA, meanwhile, has cited an earlier agreement with former Gov. Phil Murphy under which New Jersey was supposed to provide service to the games "at cost," and continues to argue that the host-committee structure used in other regions has produced cheaper outcomes for fans.

What's not changing: 40,000 seats on the train per match — a hard cap that means a substantial share of the fans MetLife will hold for each of its eight World Cup matches will need to find another way in.