Mamdani Brushes Off 30,000 Unsold Train Tickets in East Rutherford
Up to 30,000 train tickets were still unsold before Tuesday’s World Cup game in east rutherford, where France will face Senegal at 3 p.m. at MetLife Stadium. The numbers leave a large share of the expected 80,000 fans without a locked-in transit plan as the region braces for another packed event.
The mandatory two-way NJ Transit ticket costs $98, while New York state buses are priced at $10 each way. Those bus spots were sold out, and only about 3,500 parking spots were available, putting pressure on the remaining fans to sort out travel before game day.
Mamdani leans on late buyers
Zohran Mamdani said at an unrelated event Monday morning that there was still additional capacity on New Jersey Transit and urged people to buy tickets well in advance. He also pointed to the surge in last-minute purchases, saying, “We saw a significant number of ticket holders buying their tickets for mass transit just in the hours before the game, and continue to encourage everyone to do so far in advance.”
He added, “We also say that there continues to be additional capacity on New Jersey Transit, and so for those who have yet to buy their tickets, that is one way that we are going to encourage them to do so. And I appreciate the efforts of all the city government in sharing this message.”
Saturday’s MetLife exit problems
The travel warnings carry extra weight because the previous local World Cup game on Saturday left thousands of spectators spending hours trying to leave MetLife Stadium. That event exposed how quickly the transportation plan can get squeezed when a one-day crowd of this size converges on East Rutherford.
About 12,000 people had bought spots on New York state buses, and about 12,000 had bought NJ Transit train tickets, leaving up to 50,000 attendees without a confirmed travel plan based on the numbers cited. The city’s World Cup czar, Maya Handa, held the title of strategic initiative specialist for the city, earned $220,000 annually according to records, and previously worked for Elizabeth Warren’s failed presidential campaign.
For fans still deciding how to get to MetLife, the practical choice is already narrow: train tickets, sold-out buses, or one of the limited parking spots. With the match set for France and Senegal on Tuesday afternoon, the remaining inventory is the clearest sign of how compressed the travel picture has become around the stadium.
