N.J. governor: FIFA should share World Cup transportation costs
- With public transit costs for getting to and from World Cup games repeatedly reaching or exceeding $100 each way
With public transit costs for getting to and from World Cup games repeatedly reaching or exceeding $100 each way, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is asking FIFA to help subsidize the expense.
According to The Athletic, train tickets from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will top $100 for World Cup games. The standard fare for that route is $12.90.
“I won’t stick N.J. commuters with that tab for years to come, that’s not fair,” Sherrill posted on X. “FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don’t, I’m not going to let N.J. commuters be taken for one.”
The official train ticket cost has yet to be announced, but The Athletic reported that Sherrill, the local World Cup host committee and NJ Transit all declined to deny that it would be above $100.
Sherrill tweeted, “We have inherited an agreement in which FIFA doesn’t contribute a single dollar toward transportation for the World Cup. And while NJ Transit is left with a $48 million bill to safely transport 40,000 fans from the stadium to wherever they’re headed, FIFA is generating $11 billion from this World Cup.
“I’m not going to burden New Jersey taxpayers with that bill for years.”
A day earlier, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted, “The World Cup should be as affordable and accessible as possible. Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me.”
The backlash about New York’s transportation pricing comes in the wake of news regarding similar costs in Massachusetts. Train tickets from Boston to Foxborough, Mass., for World Cup games will cost $80, and bus rides will be priced at up to $95.
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