New Yorkers will be barred from entering parts of the busiest transportation hub in North America throughout the World Cup this summer, according to a report.
Ahead of the eight World Cup matches that will be held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, including the final showdown, New York’s Penn Station will reportedly only be accessed by fans attending the games.
The train station, located in the heart of Manhattan, will be a crucial gateway for fans traveling from the city to the Meadowlands to watch games at MetLife.
As a result, for four hours before kickoff, Penn Station will be closed off to everyone but World Cup ticket-holders, according to NorthJersey.com.
The spectators will reportedly have their tickets checked at station entrances on 33rd Street and 32nd Street along Seventh Avenue.
Other travelers using Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road services will be directed to other entrances to access the necessary tracks in other areas of Penn Station.
New Yorkers will be barred from entering parts of Penn Station during the World Cup
Only World Cup ticket holders will be able to access the station four hours before kickoff
Eight games will be held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium throughout the tournament
However, commuters taking NJ Transit services will not be able to access the New Jersey-bound trains from Penn Station for the four hours before kickoff.
The report sparked outrage from New Yorkers and New Jersey commuters as they questioned how they were expected to continue with their daily routines with the disruption.
‘Just so wrong. We should never put the every day citizen aside for anything when it comes to publicly funded services,’ one social media user wrote, replying to the report on X.
‘How will that work for commuters?’ another questioned. ‘Some of the matches are at night on work days. If a Tuesday match [starts] at 8pm, you leave early or at 8pm? Their own site still has transportation coming soon.’
‘Yikes. That’s going to be a mess,’ claimed a third furious user.
‘Public transit … reserved exclusively for 95%+ White extremely wealthy (individual tickets cost $1,000s) sportsball (sic) fans while working poor people can’t get to and from their jobs,’ added another.
A reported 132,000 rail riders pass through Penn Station on weekdays to access NJ Transit services.
Half of the eight games held at MetLife Stadium this summer will be held on weekdays. The first will take place at 3pm ET on Tuesday, June 16, others will kick off at 8pm on Monday, June 22, and at 4pm on Thursday, June 25. The fourth will take place on Tuesday, June 30, at a time yet to be determined.
