NJ Transit has carried large crowds to the World Cup but is bringing in far fewer riders than it counted on, News 12 New Jersey reported. The agency has moved about 25,000 fans per match to and from MetLife Stadium during the tournament so far, a steady flow that has nonetheless fallen short of expectations.
The shortfall shows up clearly in the numbers behind the matches. According to the report, the agency is moving about 60 percent of its capacity per match, with match day trains running emptier than the agency had budgeted for, even though it has sometimes reopened Penn Station earlier than expected.
Officials point to competition for how fans actually get to the games. President and CEO Chris Calori said that parking at American Dream and other private entities has cut into ridership, drawing away some of the passengers the rail service had been banking on.
The gap matters because of how much the agency committed up front. NJ Transit budgeted 48 million dollars around the World Cup, and if ridership stays under capacity, that sets up the agency for a multi-million dollar loss on the tournament.
Despite that risk, the agency is drawing a firm line on who absorbs the cost. Calori is promising that regular commuters will not pay for whatever the difference turns out to be, separating the World Cup math from the daily riders who depend on the system.
He spelled out that commitment in blunt terms. Calori said he will not come back to the legislature and ask for more money, and that he will not advocate for, nor ask the board or the governor, to implement any surcharge on commuters to cover the gap.
The check-in comes at the midpoint of New Jersey's slate of World Cup matches. While the service has run efficiently and reshaped routines for daily commuters, the lighter than expected crowds leave the agency managing a financial hit even as the tournament continues at MetLife Stadium.