Gridlock, costly trains and trapped taxis hit MetLife access before Brazil v Morocco | OneFootball

Hours before Brazil v Morocco, scheduled for midnight French time, access to the MetLife Stadium became a logistical ordeal, with gridlock and longer journeys from Manhattan.

According to L'Équipe, highways into the New Jersey venue were clogged throughout the afternoon as demand swelled, pushing travel times sharply higher.

Public transport struggled to cope. A special New York to MetLife train cost $98 return, while $20 event buses could not board everyone at departure points.

Many supporters and journalists turned to taxis and ride-hailing, splitting fares, with a Manhattan to MetLife trip around $120. It proved little quicker, cabs and Ubers crawled in the same tailbacks.

The media were hit too, with several beIN Sports journalists seen walking along the motorway with about one mile still to go. Dedicated press shuttles were too few and ran roughly one hour 15 minutes late against the advertised schedule.

With the stadium set to stage one of the tournament’s early headline fixtures, the disruption is already prompting criticism of the organisation and raising fears of late arrivals as kick-off nears.

Source: L'Équipe