Commuter Alert: World Cup game in the Meadowlands to bring heavy traffic, modified transit schedules
Ecuador and Germany will square off at New York New Jersey Stadium, with the match kicking off at 4 p.m. and stadium gates opening at 1 p.m.
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Drivers beware: With a World Cup match returning to New York New Jersey Stadium on Thursday, your commute may hit some major hurdles.
Ecuador and Germany will square off in the Meadowlands, with the match kicking off at 4 p.m. Officials recommend working from home if possible.
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If that is not an option, here are some changes commuters can expect:
Trains departing from Secaucus Junction and Penn Station New York will be limited to customers traveling to NYNJ Stadium from 11:23 a.m. to 3:07 p.m.
For no additional cost to ticket or pass holders, NJ Transit is offering alternative travel options:
Customers will be directed to take PATH service from the 33rd Street Station to Hoboken or Newark Penn Station to continue to their final destination.
Customers may also take NJ Transit bus service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to points throughout New Jersey.
Customers traveling on the Main-Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines who normally transfer at Secaucus for service to New York should note that trains will bypass Secaucus during this time and travel directly to Hoboken Terminal. Customers may take PATH service from Hoboken to continue to New York.
After the match concludes, eastbound trains traveling to Penn Station New York will terminate at either Newark Penn Station or Newark Broad Street Station from approximately 6:36 p.m. until 9:08 p.m.
For no additional cost to ticket or pass holders, NJ Transit is offering alternative travel options:
At Newark Penn Station, customers on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line may transfer to PATH trains to continue to New York.
At Newark Broad Street Station, customers on the Morris & Essex Lines and Montclair-Boonton Line will have the following options:
Wait and board a Hoboken-bound train to Hoboken Terminal, where tickets will be accepted on PATH or NJ Transit Route 126 bus service for travel to New York.
Use trains that travel directly to Hoboken Terminal, where tickets will be accepted on PATH service to New York.
Use NJ Transit rail tickets on the Newark Light Rail to travel to Newark Penn Station and transfer to PATH service to New York.
NJ Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation has created a hotspot map showing the roadways expected to experience the most congestion on game days.
That includes Routes 3, 17 and 120, which saw heavy traffic during previous local World Cup matches. The agency recommends avoiding traffic from five hours before the match to five hours after it concludes.
The full DOT congestion map can be viewed here.
Two New Jersey Turnpike ramps in Secaucus will be closed during every FIFA match at NYNJ Stadium.
The closures include:
The northbound ramp at Interchange 16E/18E to Paterson Plank Road.
The southbound ramp at Interchange 17 to Paterson Plank Road.
Both ramps will close four hours before kickoff and reopen four hours after the match concludes. All other Turnpike ramps and interchanges will remain open.
While the ramps are closed, detour routes will be posted on overhead message signs to assist drivers attempting to access Route 3.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority is warning that traffic congestion at or near its facilities, including the Lincoln Tunnel, PATH system and Midtown Bus Terminal, will be higher than usual.
Both the north and south tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel will remain open at all times, but the direction of the center tube will vary based on match timing to optimize traffic flow.
In the four hours before the match, the center tube will operate westbound into New Jersey to facilitate travel to the stadium. In the three hours after the match, the center tube configuration will vary to balance weekday commuter traffic and stadium-related traffic.
Bus traffic through the Lincoln Tunnel will be prioritized in coordination with the NYPD and the New York City Department of Transportation.
For travelers heading to Newark Liberty International Airport, the Port Authority recommends taking public transportation whenever possible, as traffic around the airport is expected to be heavier than usual on game days.
