NJ Transit drops cost of train ticket to World Cup matches
Under the original proposal, riders traveling from Penn Station to the Meadowlands would have paid $150 per round trip on FIFA game days.
NJ Transit has announced it will lower its round‑trip train fare to MetLife Stadium on World Cup match days to $105, down from the originally planned $150.
Under the original proposal, riders traveling from Penn Station to the Meadowlands would have paid $150 per round trip on FIFA game days.
Regular NJ Transit commuters also would not have had access to trains that go to the Meadowlands for four hours prior to matches. While those service restrictions remain in place, the fare has been reduced by approximately 30%.
In a statement, NJ Transit president and CEO Kris Kolluri said the agency was able to lower the fare after securing corporate sponsorships to help offset operational costs associated with World Cup service.
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Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the original pricing structure was intended to cover FIFA‑related transportation expenses that otherwise could have been passed on to New Jersey taxpayers.
"I thought certainly FIFA should take on some of this burden as they intend to make a $11 billion from this, but also we've gone out to corporate sponsors to try and get these cost lower, and we've seen a great response from them," she said. "I'm happy they've come forward and we're still waiting to see if FIFA will come through. Although we're not holding our breath."
Several riders also told News 12 the price change doesn't affect their plans.
"It's the commuters who are going to work that I'm concerned with," NJ Transit commuter Thomas Farrell said.
Meanwhile, daily NJ Transit commuter Vishal Varma told News 12 he is going to the World Cup. However, he's headed to Philadelphia to avoid the $105 price tag for transportation.
"I will be traveling somewhere else to watch World Cup, not to pay the price of $100," he said.
