NJ Transit moved 'historic' 370K for World Cup, but it wasn't perfect

NJ Transit moved more than 370,000 people during the eight World Cup matches that took place at MetLife Stadium in June and July, a historic number over a short period of time, the agency said in a memo released July 22.

But the largest sports spectacle in the world also offered a few lessons about how NJ Transit would do a few things differently, such as continuing to cap the number of transit tickets for special events, according to the five-page “after action” report authored by the agency.

NJ Transit’s World Cup transportation system between Secaucus Junction and MetLife Stadium — which included moving 10,000 people per hour on its stub-end train and 10,000 using a temporary bus route — achieved “eight Super Bowls within one 39-day period,” the memo said.

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At the conclusion of the final match July 19, NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri declared the “curse” of the 2014 Super Bowl lifted from the public transportation system that had been blamed for hours-long waits and large crowds after tens of thousands more people took it than expected on that Super Bowl Sunday.

For the 2026 World Cup, there were 52,000 to 58,000 public transportation tickets available from NJ Transit and the host committee on match days, but the majority of the 80,000 match-goers still chose to use personal vehicles or hired car services to get them to MetLife — even though it was advertised as a “public transportation-first event.”

 “While transit will remain a travel option, the continued car-centric nature of this facility and the characteristics of the regional travel market make a predominantly mass-transit-based operation unlikely,” the memo said.

As a result, NJ Transit recommends capping its tickets for future special events at MetLife to 20,000 round-trip tickets to create budget predictability, avoid investing excess resources that go unused or underused, and keep regular commuter service going at the same time.

“NJ Transit can continue supporting future stadium events through existing infrastructure, with financial planning and operating budgets aligned to a proven demand threshold up to approximately 20,000 passengers,” the memo said, adding that additional bus operations could be deployed as needed.

The plan changed, and so did the transit calculus

While NJ Transit moved a historic number of people, it still fell short of expectations.

NJ Transit sold just 60% of available tickets during the tournament, a significant under-performance given the planning and tremendous investment, while also restricting normal commuters from using two of its busiest hubs — New York Penn Station and Secaucus Junction — during certain hours before and after matches.

Because it moved fewer people than expected, NJ Transit likely fell short about $13 million in revenue it expected to generate from the controversial $98 round-trip ticket to shuttle people to World Cup matches, according to data collected by NorthJersey.com. Normally, the agency charges $12.90 round trip for football games, concerts and special events at MetLife Stadium, a ticket that is 80% subsidized.

Kolluri said the agency will produce a thorough accounting of its expenses in a few weeks.

For the World Cup, NJ Transit charged the amount it would cost to break even if the tickets sold out because it took on an additional $62 million in expenses to provide the service — far more expensive than typical MetLife events.

“Overall, service delivery successfully met all transportation commitments and effectively moved customers within established service windows,” the memo said. “However, deviations from the approved mobility plan reduced operational efficiency, affected traffic flow, and limited the achievement of intended mode-distribution objectives.”

NJ Transit and the New York-New Jersey host committee announced a mobility plan in April that estimated NJ Transit would move 40,000 people per match, host committee bus shuttles would move 10,000 people per match, rideshare would cover 6,000 people and 22,000 would be “FIFA-managed.”

That plan began to change weeks later when New York Gov. Kathy Hochul suddenly threw in $6 million to bring down the cost of the host committee shuttle tickets and add the number of seats available to 12,000 on school days and 18,000 on non-school days.

Even with the cheaper, $20 shuttle bus tickets, only four of the eight matches sold out of host committee shuttle tickets — partly dispelling the belief that price was the only factor driving transportation decisions.

“Match attendees had sufficient travel choices and selected modes based on personal preference despite varying price points,” NJ Transit said in its memo.

American Dream must be considered in future planning

Parking details also changed closer to the tournament.

For more than a year before the World Cup began, the parking message was that “there will be very limited parking if any at MetLife,” Alex Lasry, the host committee’s CEO, said in April 2025.

The April 2026 mobility plan indicated there would be “limited premium parking” available at the American Dream mall adjacent to the stadium, but both of those details changed less than a week before the first match when permits were made available for black car service and private buses.

FIFA began selling on-site stadium parking to the general public before the first match, June 13, and NJ Transit estimates American Dream ended up being responsible for 11,000-22,000 people parking there or getting dropped off per match day.

FIFA did not provide NJ Transit with data about how many people used its on-site parking, but “the available data indicates that fewer than 30% of the designated parking spaces were utilized” and “pedestrian volumes between the stadium and American Dream were higher than FIFA projections by more than 80%,” the memo said.

As a result, there was increased pedestrian activity, traffic congestion and crowding.

“Any future mobility plan for large events must include American Dream’s parking facilities in it,” the memo said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Transit moved 'historic' 370K for World Cup, but it wasn't perfect