NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Thursday marks Opening Day for the New York Yankees and the MTA is stepping up to help fans get to and from the game.
The Yankees were allowed to sell just about 11,000 tickets for the home opener against the Blue Jays and the next 10 homes games, and that means plenty of fans will be on their way to and from the stadium via public transportation.
Because of this, Metro-North says it will be running a special service to the stadium, with shuttle trains operating between Grand Central Terminal, Harlem-125th Street and Yankees-East 153rd Street stations.
"We're excited to welcome New Yorkers back to baseball and our subways, buses and paratransit vehicles are great ways to get to the game," said New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg.
The MTA says the added service is expected to ease traffic on the subways by allowing fans to social distance and get to the game safely.
The Yankees have said they hope to expand seating capacity at the stadium next month. It currently remains at just 20%.
Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi says they'll keep an eye on ridership with the expectation that more fans will be allowed to attend games once the season is in full swing.
“We're at the place now where we're hopefully coming out of the pandemic and people are riding, especially, interesting enough, people who are discretionary travelers, people who are going to different destinations,” she said.
Some fans, such as Darrell Banks and his 11-year-old son, have already taken advantage of the increased train service, saying they feel completely comfortable using public transportation.
“The train is great,” Banks said. “Metro-North, they actually have extra trains for the game and we're lucky because my wife actually works for Metro-North, so we're very comfortable riding the trains and very excited. When the station opened, it makes it so easy for us to get in and out.”
The increased service will continue for every home game throughout the season, but Rinaldi notes they could increase service if capacity limits also increase.
“We're going to keep an eye on things,” she said. “We want to be here for our customers who want to come.”
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