NJ Transit tickets for World Cup matches may cost $100 or more, report says
A report in "The Athletic" is raising eyebrows among FIFA World Cup fans.
The report says NJ Transit is considering charging more than $100 for round-trip tickets from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium for World Cup games.
Typically, those tickets cost $12.90. That's an approximately 700% surge in price.
The final decision on the price is set to be made in the coming days, according to the report.
A spokesperson for NJ Transit did not deny the report, and instead suggested the final prices have yet to be determined.
"The ticket prices for match day travel have not been finalized," the spokesperson said. "However, as [Gov. Mikie Sherrill] has clearly stated, the cost for the eight matches will not be borne by our regular commuters."
The spokesperson said NJ Transit estimates it will cost the agency $48 million to provide service for the eight matches set for MetLife.
"One of the key things that I wanted to make sure of was that we were not going to be paying for moving the World Cup, people who are viewing the World Cup, on the backs of New Jersey taxpayers and New Jersey commuters," Sherrill said at a news conference Monday. "We worked together closely to make sure that that cost will not be borne by New Jerseyans."
According to "The Athletic," the new special event pricing will impact everyone riding the rails, even though NJ Transit typically otherwise offers discounts to seniors, children and the disabled year-round.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to the report.
"The World Cup should be as affordable and accessible as possible. Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me. That's not happening on the MTA," Hochul posted on social media.
"I think it's a little crazy," soccer fan Geovani Ocampo said. "I get the whole tax situation, but it's not it, at all. It ain't it."
A source familiar with the 2026 FIFA World Cup transit plans previously told CBS News New York's Christine Sloan that Penn Station will partially close for four hours before each match kicks off, and that only trains between Penn Station and Secaucus Junction will be running at that time.
