NJ Transit will charge $150 for roundtrip ride to the World Cup

NEWARK — NJ Transit will charge $150 for a roundtrip ride to FIFA World Cup games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It’ll be one of few options to get to the game.

That price will apply for all spectators taking the train to the game, including those who board in South Jersey. The tickets will be available for purchase on one day only, May 13, through NJ Transit’s mobile app.

Kris Kolluri, president of NJ Transit, said the agency expects to move 40,000 people to and from each of the eight games hosted by the state, which will cost roughly $62 million.

He said the transit agency, which received about $10.7 million from the federal government and about $3.6 million from the host committee, can’t afford to pick up the remaining $48 million cost.

“This isn’t profit making,” Kolluri said at a news conference in Newark on Friday. “We’re not trying to gouge anybody.”

N.J. Gov. Mikie Sherrill has been an outspoken opponent of FIFA’s arrangement, a deal struck with former Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow Democrat.

“In the agreement that my administration inherited, FIFA put zero dollars toward transporting World Cup fans,” she said Friday, noting the company is slated to make $11 billion.

”FIFA should cover the cost of transporting its fans,” Sherrill added. “If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ Transit every day.”

Charging premium prices for spectators is a sharp contrast to SEPTA, which said Wednesday it will not charge more than the regular $2.90 base fare for a Broad Street Line ride to Lincoln Financial Field for matches.

Kolluri attributes that to location.

MetLife “is a suburban stadium, which is trying to get an urban feel to it,” Kolluri said. “Lincoln Financial Stadium is an urban stadium with urban transportation access … very different fundamentally from each other.”

Boston is charging $80 for game-day fares.

Trains to the stadium will be restricted to spectators for four hours before games and three hours after.

During those time periods, commuters can use rapid transit and buses from Port Authority paying a regular NJ Transit fare, or they can pay for ferry or Amtrak travel on their own dime.

Sherrill has expressed that she’s most concerned about the two matches — June 22 and June 30 — that overlap with peak commuting times.

Kolluri has urged New Jerseyans to work from home during those high-traffic days.

“If you can avoid traveling on these eight days, that would help as much as possible, especially for … June 22 and June 30,” Kolluri said.

Customers who buy regular NJ Transit tickets on those two days will receive discounts to make up for the inconvenience. Those tickets can be used for 30 days.

Kolluri said the agency expects about 28,000 out of the 40,000 NJ Transit riders will travel from New York and North Jersey.

A shuttle bus, run by the New York New Jersey Host Committee, is another option for spectators. Tickets are on sale now for $80. The shuttle will have stops at the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal, Midtown East shuttle pickup east of Grand Central, and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

There will be limited parking available at American Dream Mall, located near MetLife Stadium with spots beginning at $225 — but the pricing is dynamic and subject to change.

Parking will not be available to spectators at the stadium, which law enforcement officials said is necessary for security.

Rideshare such as Uber and Lyft will have limited availability, and it’ll likely be expensive.

Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee, said the train and shuttle will be the “fastest and most efficient” ways to get to the games.

“This is a public transportation-first event,” he said.