PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Regional transit agencies are gearing up to move tens of thousands of fans to and from World Cup matches at Philadelphia Stadium and MetLife Stadium. Here's what you need to know before you go.
PHILADLEPHIA MATCHES
SEPTA has upgraded NRG station at the end of the Broad Street Line. Its the transit gateway for fans heading to the Linc or, as FIFA will call it, "Philadelphia Stadium”. On Wednesday SEPTA officials showed reporters the improved roof, lighting, ventilation and signage at the station, as well as a resurfaced platform.
SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson said to expect massive security.
"The security posturing, the policing posture that we have planned for this event is going to be the largest in the history of SEPTA,” he said.
SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer expects the Broad Street Line will carry 55,000 fans on game days, with extra sports express trains running every 4 or 5 minutes. Unlike Eagles games, Sauer said World Cup crowds are expected to linger at the sports complex after matches. Even so, he said it will likely take about two hours to clear passengers from the area.
Ahead of the news conference, shuttle buses were temporarily deployed to NRG Station after a mechanical issue at Walnut-Locust Station forced about 80 passengers to evacuate a train.
“All the preparation that we’ve spent, all the training that we’ve done, we were able to respond to that train within just a few minutes,” Sauer said.
He added that SEPTA will have key personnel stationed along the line during World Cup events to quickly address any issues.
NEW JERSEY MATCHES
Fans heading to MetLife Stadium should plan ahead. Those heading to World Cup matches may run into waits and delays, and officials urge people to map their routes now, noting that parking, walking and ride share drop offs won’t be allowed at MetLife Stadium.
New Jersey Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said they have added buses and even some boats as contingencies to ensure people can get to and from the stadiums.
After a couple of weeks with delays on the Amtrak system, Kolluri said their entire plan is reliant on Amtrak’s infrastructure holding up.
“We have made it abundantly clear to Amtrak that they are a single point of failure if something were to happen on the system. Because without Amtrak, we will not be able to execute a proper plan for FIFA," he said.
Kolluri said even a 15 minute delay can cause cascading delays of an hour or more, but he said Amtrak has assured them that additional staff and resources are prepared to respond.
Amtrak said it’s invested $30-million to fortify its system.
Officials encourage fans to download the Everbridge app for real-time information on game days.
