NJT CEO confirms FIFA-related Penn Station closures of NJ Transit
Kolluri called it a temporary diversion brought on by security and capacity, calling the eight games New Jersey is hosting "arguably the most important security event we’re ever going to see in the nation.”
Two months from the start of the FIFA World Cup in New Jersey, the transportation plans remain unclear, other than that there will be no on-site parking or tailgating at MetLife Stadium. Thursday at the State House, the leader of New Jersey Transit confirmed recent media reports that Penn Station will close to NJT's non-World Cup ticketholders for four hours before each game.
Responding to legislators' questions, NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri called it a temporary diversion brought on by security, calling the eight games New Jersey is hosting "arguably the most important security event we’re ever going to see in the nation.”
Heightened security - including Secret Service - for the many heads of state that could be on hand is the main rationale for restricting parking. That means heavier transit usage - Kolluri said NJ Transit can commit to a capacity of 40,000 - forcing restrictions in service elsewhere. He estimates 28,000 of that 40,000 will come from Manhattan.
“We have to make sure that the trains we are going to set aside at Penn Station have the capacity," Kolluri said.
Just one of the four weekday games - Monday, June 22 - happens during peak commuting hours. That day, Penn Station would close New Jersey Transit from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Commuting alternatives include Amtrak, PATH, ferries and NJ Transit buses.
Kolluri has said since January that commuters should consider working from home those days.
The weekend games also present challenges. There are Yankees or Mets home games all four of those World Cup gamedays, plus the expected tourists over Independence Day weekend. Penn Station is a critical hub for these events.
Secaucus Junction will be the way-between for the Meadowlands Rail Line from Penn Station, and it will be one of the highest-security perimeters during those eight games.
"I did not know that it is a custom for football fans to carry flares," Kolluri said. "Well, those are things that we are not going to allow on our system.”
The train ticket price for these games is still unclear, but Kolluri pledged that those who aren’t going won’t pay for it. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced $80 round-trip World Cup tickets earlier this week - four times their standard event ticket cost.
NJ Transit told News 12 the full plan will be announced later this month.
A Meadowlands Chamber event where Kolluri and the FIFA Host Committee were set to discuss the transportation plan was rescheduled from Friday, April 10 to May 1. When News 12 asked why, no reason was provided.
