NJ World Cup Match 2: Transportation going mostly smoothly
For regular travelers, it didn’t seem to complicate the commute. The extra traffic on Route 3 was limited to the exits immediately by the stadium. This was an improvement from Saturday.
More Stories
France took down Senegal 3-1 in the second FIFA World Cup match hosted at New York New Jersey Stadium. After the match, all eyes were on the roads and the rails during rush hour.
Tuesday’s FIFA match presented a recipe for potential gridlock. The match ended just past 5 p.m., which is considered rush hour in one of the most congested parts of the state.
For regular travelers, it didn’t seem to complicate the commute. The extra traffic on Route 3 was limited to the exits immediately by the stadium. This was an improvement from Saturday.
Fans leaving the stadium had the hardest time. Dozens of cars lined up outside the American Dream mall, stuck in place until the congestion cleared. Thousands more fans walked the mile-plus to the racetrack to wait for an Uber.
Despite repeated warnings, plenty of folks were spotted walking along Paterson Plank Road.
On Tuesday, tickets for the FIFA shuttle buses completely sold out, with 12,000 riders using the service.
NJ Transit brought about 26,000 fans to and from the stadium on trains and buses. Although the service between the Meadowlands and Secaucus Junction seemed to go smoothly, even ahead of schedule, several riders online shared their difficulty catching their train back home from Secaucus.
There are six more matches to go, and the next one, Monday at 8 p.m., has been circled on NJ Transit’s calendar for months. Commuters headed back to New Jersey from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. will be forced to take the PATH or NJT bus out of the city, as rail service toward New Jersey will halt for the match.
