Overview:
Fans heading to the FIFA World Cup in the United States may face sticker shock beyond match tickets, with transportation costs surging at key venues. In New Jersey, a short train ride to MetLife Stadium could cost more than ten times the usual fare, raising concerns over affordability and who should foot the bill.
(ABC-Australia) Sky-high ticket prices for matches will not be the only thing emptying the wallets of football fans attending the FIFA World Cup at some US venues this year.
Fans trying to get to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium from New York City can expect to shell out $209 for a round-trip train fare for each match, transportation officials have confirmed.
That is nearly 11 times the regular $18 fare for the roughly 15-minute, 14-kilometre ride from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On-site parking will not be available for most fans, so New Jersey officials anticipate about 40,000 fans will use mass transit for each match.
The home stadium for both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the tournament final on July 20 (AEST). Group stage matches for soccer powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany and England, along with other nations, begin June 13.
New Jersey officials said the increase was necessary to cover the cost of hosting the World Cup on its return to the US for the first time since 1994.
NJ Transit officials said they planned to spend $86.4 million transporting fans to and from the stadium over the duration of the tournament. Outside grants had defrayed only $19.5 million of those anticipated expenses. A fare increase was needed to cover the rest, according to NJ Transit president and chief executive Kris Kolluri.
“This isn’t price gouging,” he told reporters on Friday local time.
“We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”
Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, called on FIFA to cover the transportation costs.
“If it won’t, we will not be subsidising World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” she said in a statement.
Taking public transit to World Cup matches in Boston’s suburbs will also be costly.
Express buses from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $132, officials announced this week.
And thousands of fans have already snapped up $111 round-trip train tickets from Boston to the commuter rail station near the stadium. That is four times the $28 riders are normally charged for a round-trip ticket during game days and other special events at Gillette, which is located in Foxborough, a town some 48 kilometres from Boston.
Other World Cup host cities have pledged to keep their transit fares unchanged, noting that the US government has provided some $139 million in transit grants to host cities to provide enhanced bus and rail service.
FIFA has bristled at the suggestion that it should cover the transit costs, noting that the agreements signed with World Cup host cities back in 2018 called for free transportation for fans to all matches. It also argued that no other major event held at MetLife has been required to pay for fan transportation.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach today on fan transportation,” the organisation said in a statement, as news reports of the reported fare began to circulate.
“FIFA worked for years with host cities on transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.”
Alternatives to taking the train to MetLife Stadium will also be pricey.
Shuttle buses with a capacity for about 10,000 riders will set off from the midtown Manhattan bus terminal and other locations for $111 round trip.
Some 5,000 parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall are also being sold in advance, currently priced at $313.
MetLife Stadium has a huge parking lot, but for World Cup matches much of that space is being used for a fan village, shuttle buses, a staging area and FIFA staff, officials said.
AP
