NJ Transit running smoothly - but below capacity - for World Cup
The agency says it is moving about 60% of its capacity per match so far.
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NJ Transit service has been efficient halfway through New Jersey’s slate of World Cup matches, but, it has moved significantly fewer guests than expected, while changing routines for daily commuters.
NJ Transit has successfully moved 23,000-26,000 fans per match to and from MetLife Stadium so far during the World Cup - sometimes reopening its portion of Penn Station earlier than expected. But the matchday trains have been emptier than the agency budgeted for.
“The mobility plan had outlined it to be a mass transit event," said President and CEO Kris Kolluri. "What has happened is, through American Dream and a couple other private entities, you’ve had a diversion, if you will, of tens of thousands of customers that would have been on NJ Transit.”
NJ Transit budgeted $48 million for World Cup costs. So far, the agency is moving about 60% of its capacity per match. This sets up the agency for a multimillion-dollar loss, but Kolluri is promising that regular commuters will not pay for the difference.
“I will not come back to the Legislature to ask for more money," Kolluri said. "And No. 2, I will not advocate for - nor will I ask the board or the governor - to implement a surcharge on commuters to pay for whatever the delta is.”
Kolluri added there will also not be service cuts as a result of World Cup costs.
The $20 FIFA bus shuttles have run over 90% capacity so far. But Kolluri doesn’t believe the cost of a train ticket has been a factor in their higher usage. He pointed to NJ Transit picking up extra customers during the matches that the FIFA buses ran less service.
“When they went from 18,000 to 12,000 [capacity for weekday games], the people came naturally to NJ Transit," Kolluri said. "If price was the driving factor, you wouldn’t have seen that sort of deviation or migration toward NJ Transit.”
While the final figure is unclear, unless ridership increases, NJ Transit is set for a multimillion-dollar toll of commuting from the World Cup.
Unrelated to the World Cup, NJ Transit fares will rise 3% on July 1 as part of an indefinite, yearly fare increase that was approved in 2024.
