New Jersey governor: FIFA should share World Cup transportation costs

With public transit costs for getting to and from World Cup games repeatedly reaching or exceeding $100 each way, New Jersey Governor ​Mikie Sherrill is asking FIFA to help subsidise the ‌expense.

According to The Athletic, train tickets from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will top $100 for World Cup games. The ​standard fare for that route is $12.90.

“I won’t stick N.J. ​commuters with that tab for years to come, that’s ⁠not fair,” Sherrill posted on X. “FIFA should pay for the rides, ​but if they don’t, I’m not going to let N.J. commuters ​be taken for one.”

The official train ticket cost has yet to be announced, but The Athletic reported that Sherrill, the local World Cup host committee ​and NJ Transit all declined to deny that it would ​be above $100.

Sherrill tweeted, “We have inherited an agreement in which FIFA doesn’t contribute a ‌single ⁠dollar toward transportation for the World Cup. And while NJ Transit is left with a $48 million bill to safely transport 40,000 fans from the stadium to wherever they’re headed, FIFA is generating $11 billion ​from this World ​Cup.

“I’m not ⁠going to burden New Jersey taxpayers with that bill for years.”

A day earlier, New York Gov. Kathy ​Hochul tweeted, “The World Cup should be as affordable ​and ⁠accessible as possible. Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me.”

The backlash about New York’s transportation pricing comes in ⁠the ​wake of news regarding similar costs in ​Massachusetts. Train tickets from Boston to Foxborough, Mass., for World Cup games will cost $80, ​and bus rides will be priced at up to $95.

-Reuters

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