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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks in a video posted on X on May 12.(Screenshot)
Ella Adams | SHNS
As people planning to attend FIFA World Cup matches in New York see game day bus prices slashed, Massachusetts fans are staring down roundtrip commuter rail tickets to get to Foxborough at quadruple the price.
The MBTA is charging $80 for roundtrip commuter rail tickets on "Boston Stadium Trains," the only T service going directly Gillette Stadium for the seven World Cup matches being hosted between June 13 and July 9. Gillette is taking on the temporary name, "Boston Stadium."
The state was expecting over 2 million visitors in June and July for the festivities as of late April.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on social media Tuesday that the round-trip price of bus tickets from New York City to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for matches would be lowered from $80 to $20.
"Getting to the World Cup should be as accessible as possible," Hochul wrote, announcing the price cut and adding that "20% of those tickets will be reserved exclusively for New Yorkers."
Asked Thursday about Hochul's announcement and if "anything like that" could happen with the T, Gov. Maura Healey said, "I hadn't seen that."
"I'll tell you what, you know — what I decided to subsidize and provide a discount on, is stuff for Massachusetts residents," Healey said. "We're going to look for other ways to save people who are using public transit as a regular matter, you know, day-to-day, to get to work, to get to wherever they need to get to, making that more affordable."
The Healey administration in March rolled out a plan for commuter rail promotions this summer, including "Free Fridays" and monthly pass discounts, as the state prepares for a busy sequence of major events and attempts to reduce congestion.
"We looked at what we could do in terms of getting people to Gillette for the games. And I think we arrived at a good figure. It's not the most expensive way, by any means, to get to Gillette," Healey continued. "I think it's a reasonable, you know, fee for that kind of service."
Hochul and the FIFA World Cup NYNJ Host Committee wrote in a Wednesday press release that in anticipation of increased ticket demand at the lower price point, bus capacity will be expanded from an initial 10,000 seats to 18,000 for five matches, and 12,000 seats for three matches. They've "secured" school buses to make it a reality, and said fans who already purchased shuttle tickets will automatically get a $60 refund.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also announced this week that NJ Transit World Cup train tickets are being lowered to $98. The round-trip tickets were initially set at $150, according to NBC New York.
The Healey administration recently launched a "Kick the Drive" campaign encouraging visitors and residents "to plan ahead, avoid driving when possible and take public transportation during match days when significant increases in traffic are expected."
Chief Operating Officer of Kraft Sports & Entertainment Jim Nolan said at a "Know Before You Go" press conference held Wednesday that, "We have significant parking. Significant enough parking capacity for anyone who wants to drive to Gillette."
"There are going to be more people traveling to Gillette Stadium by train and by bus than any event in the history of Gillette Stadium," Nolan said.
Asked Thursday about the contradictory messaging, Healey said, "I encourage people to not drive."
"We're going to have a ton of people coming here, and we want the roads and travel to be as easy as possible. There are a lot of different options for folks. We're going to continue to work together on all of this," Healey said.
"I think in general, you know, better to have people getting to Gillette not by their car, but through other means. And that's what we've tried to do with the program we have through the T, for example," Healey added.
State public health officials said Wednesday that they're activating their World Cup emergency operations plan June 1.
Ella Adams is a reporter for the State House News Service and State Affairs Massachusetts.
