NEW JERSEY — The American train network is simply awful. After being here one week, I am pining for Avanti West Coast. In fact, a journey on Britain’s inferior slop would feel like a Japanese bullet train after trying to get anywhere petrol-free in the States.
The World Cup has highlighted just how substandard the network is. Why build these stunning, almost intergalactic stadiums so far out of town, and not factor infrastructure into the projects?
Even in New York, the city that never sleeps, where you can get Chinese food at 5am on a Tuesday, there is no direct train from its epicentre to its largest sporting arena, the venue for the greatest sporting spectacle on earth – the World Cup final.
To travel the 10 miles from Penn Station to the MetLife Stadium there is a way. The costs, however, are eyewatering.
It was revealed before the tournament started that the local transport body was planning to charge a whopping $150 return for a journey that is slightly shorter than King’s Cross to Wembley.
Organisers later climbed down and said they would reduce prices after such a severe backlash. But how close would they get to the regular $12.90 for the trip?
Ordinary fans have been priced out of this World Cup since the start. On top of the exorbitant costs of getting out to the United States, ticket prices effectively ruled out a large majority of supporter who would usually relish travelling to all corners of the globe to follow their country.
A pint can set you back upwards of £14 in stadiums and fan zones here. And let’s not get started on the pricing of merchandise from Fifa.
So you would think official government transportation might just offer some respite from the bank breaking. No such luck. After eventually finding a ticket office, we parted with $98, or £75, for the journey and joined the queue of other reluctant commuters.
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Mark Douglas: Trust David Beckham to make the World Cup all about himself Daniel Storey: I owe Americans an apologyEngland fans better leave in plenty of time on Saturday for their final group match against Panama, too, as the change of trains at Secaucus Junction is anything but express. The ride itself was smooth enough, with plenty of seats to go around and the station is situated right next to the stadium. An arena of this gravitas, however, deserves something everyone can access.
Just imagine if a London Overground trip cost £75 to attend the FA Cup final. No matter the occasion, no matter the profit to be had, federal authorities should not be allowed to hike prices to this extent, when those lower down the food chain are ultimately the ones who suffer.
Fans are stuck. The only other option is by road, in a taxi or bus, and driving in New York City is not for the fainthearted or those in any form of rush.
The hosts have got so much right so far at this World Cup. Organisationally, they have been near perfect. Not this time. This is a great train robbery of epic proportions.
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