If you commute into New York City from New Jersey, this summer has a wrinkle you probably haven’t planned for yet. On eight separate days between June and July, Penn Station—the one most of the state funnels through every single morning—is going to be partially off-limits to regular riders. No exceptions, no workarounds. If you don’t have a ticket to that day’s World Cup match, you’re not getting in through the NJ Transit section of the station for a four-hour window before kickoff.
That’s the plan NJ Transit is finalizing right now, and the full announcement is expected soon. Here’s what’s known.
Why this is happening
Each of the eight World Cup matches at the Meadowlands is expected to draw 80,000 fans. Unlike a Giants or Jets game, there’s no parking at the stadium on match days—every single one of those fans has to get there by transit. NJ Transit simply cannot absorb 80,000 soccer fans on top of its normal commuter load. Something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be the World Cup.
So for four hours before each match, only ticketed fans holding specially produced World Cup train tickets—assigned to a specific arrival hour—will be allowed into the NJ Transit sections of Penn Station. Regular commuters get redirected. One of those four-hour windows is going to land directly on the weekday evening rush hour, which is the part worth circling on your calendar right now.
What it’s going to cost fans
NJ Transit hasn’t announced its World Cup fares yet. But Boston’s transit authority is charging $80 round-trip for World Cup matches—four times the normal price for the same route on a regular game day. Whether NJ Transit goes that route is still to be determined, but don’t expect it to be cheap.
What about Amtrak
Amtrak runs through Penn Station too, and its passengers aren’t immune. People familiar with the plan say Amtrak riders may be directed to Moynihan Train Hall across Eighth Avenue during the restricted windows. It’s connected, it’s functional, but it’s an added step for anyone catching a long-distance train on a match day.
Your alternatives
NJ Transit’s announcement will include redirect options for displaced commuters. The two most likely: PATH trains and ferries. PATH runs independently into lower and midtown Manhattan from Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, and Harrison—it won’t be subject to the Penn Station restrictions. Ferries are slower and pricier on a normal day but will be running. Neither is a perfect substitute, especially during rush hour, but they’re the options.
The eight dates to put in your calendar
June 13. June 19. June 22. June 26. June 29. July 2. July 6. July 19.
That last one—July 19—is the final, and it falls on a Sunday. July 6 is also a Sunday. But several group stage matches are weekdays, and June 13, the opener, is a Friday. If your commute runs through Penn Station and any of those dates are regular workdays for you, start thinking now about how you’re getting in.
The World Cup being in New Jersey is a genuinely big deal. The infrastructure reality around it is what it is. NJ Transit is doing what it has to do to move 80,000 fans eight times over the course of a summer—and regular commuters are absorbing the disruption. Knowing about it now is the only advantage you have.