New Jersey Transit plans to trim its universally hated World Cup fare hike by 30% after securing funds from “sponsors and other sources,” according to a new report, and it could drop even lower.
Last month the rail system made the shocking announcement that a round-trip ticket from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, would jump from the standard $12.90 to a whopping $150, a more than 1,000% increase.
The new price will be set at $105 — still more than 800% higher than the usual rate, the Athletic reported.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said newly anointed NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill instructed the agency to find alternate sources of funding to reduce the impact on taxpaying soccer fans after pledging Garden State taxpayers would not bear the cost.
“Governor Sherrill made two broad points; first, she would not impose financial burden on New Jersey taxpayers or commuters but said the World Cup was an opportunity for New Jersey to showcase the state, the economy and its culture and we are excited to host the games,” he told the outlet.
“Consistent with that commitment, the governor directed me to lower the cost of the tickets. We can now say we can lower the cost by at least 30 percent or $45.”
Kolluri said the infusion of funding, which did not involve World Cup organizer FIFA, could see prices coming down even further for the approximately 18-mile round-trip journey fans will take for each of the six games being played in New Jersey (June 13, June 16, June 22, June 25, June 27, June 30, July 5 and July 19.)
Sherrill engaged in a finger-pointing back-and-forth with FIFA over the organizer not helping to subsidize train ticket prices for the estimated 40,000 fans riding the rails to the quadrennial tournament, noting they’ll be generating $11 billion over its 39-day duration.
“I won’t stick NJ commuters with that tab for years to come, that’s not fair,” she added. “FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don’t, I’m not going to let NJ commuters be taken for one,” she said last month.
FIFA countered that it was “surprised” by her attack, citing an agreement signed with host cities in 2018 that free transportation would be provided to and from the international spectacle.
Kolluri told reporters last month that NJ Transit actually whittled down the cost of shuttling supporters down to $6 million per game after receiving subsidies including $10.6 million from the federal government and another $3.6 million from the New York-New Jersey host committee to offset the cost, and that the price would have been even higher without them.
“We brought the cost down to $48 million, or $6 million a game. In order to move 40,000 people and pay the cost of $6 million, we have to charge $150,” he said at the time.
Despite the comparatively lower ticket cost, the World Cup will still likely mean a hellish ride for Jersey-bound commuters trying to get home on the six game days when a match is being held during the evening rush.
On game nights, only tournament ticket holders will be able to access the NJT portion of Penn Station for the four hours leading up to kick off.
Sky-high train tickets will also be a drop in the bucket for anyone hoping to catch a match, with limited event parking going for between $225 and $300 apiece, with pricing for the final yet to be determined, according to a spokesperson for the American Dream entertainment complex, which shares a parking lot with MetLife Stadium and has partnered with FIFA to sell a “limited” amount of general parking.