Passenger Trains > NY Penn to restrict entry during World Cup activities

The Bergen Record has a story asserting that much of NY Penn Station will close to all but ticketed passengers to the World Cup matches at MetLife stadium in NJ this Summer. Amtrak and LIRR passengers will be accommodated via other entrances.

World Cup ticket-holders will have their tickets checked at entrances on 33rd Street and 32nd Street along Seventh Avenue, the document says. Penn Station users taking Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road will be directed to other entrances. NJ Transit commuters will not be able to access New Jersey-bound trains at New York Penn Station for four hours before World Cup matches are set to start at MetLife Stadium.

The article notes that this will disrupt many NJ Transit commuters as only NJT trains to Secaucus will be operated before and after the matches.  It also notes that no cost sharing agreement with co-host New York City has been finalized.  Which means that NJT may end up with the lion's share of costs, while NYC ends up with the hotel revenue

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mls/worldcup/2026/04/06/new-york-penn-station-to-close-for-4-hours-during-world-cup-matches/89483709007/

Sounds elitist to me.  The public be damned.

The World Cup souNds like a security Nightmare.

Im sure the powers that be have talked about what to do for security a lot...this is probably one of many ideas.

There will also be very limited on site parking.

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> There will also be very limited on site parking.
>
> Posted from Android

So the games won't have much action and you can't even tailgate ahead of time. I'm failing to see the point of all this.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Sounds elitist to me.  The public be damned.

No, sounds like they're planning ahead to handle the crowds. Keeping the commuter crowd separate from the World Cup crowd should make things flow a bit smoother.

PHall Wrote:
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> GenePoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sounds elitist to me.  The public be damned.
>
> No, sounds like they're planning ahead to handle
> the crowds. Keeping the commuter crowd separate
> from the World Cup crowd should make things flow a
> bit smoother.

They are not "separating" the commuter crowds, they are banning them. Regular passenger lives do not stop for the duration.

Posted from Android

NJ.com reports that the politicians are distressed about the plan to shut out NJ commuters.  And are telling NJT to come up with a better idea.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> NJ.com reports that the politicians are distressed
> about the plan to shut out NJ commuters.  And are
> telling NJT to come up with a better idea.

My experience with NJT over the years is that they couldn't care less what the Legislature thinks. They serve only at the pleasure of the governor, nothing more. The Board Chair is also the DOT Commissioner. The legislature does nothing but ribber-stamp the annual budget the governor "proposes". They only bitch to the press and media to impress us.