Grand Central Madison a better option than Penn Station for LIRR riders on World Cup days, MTA chairman says

Penn Station's Long Island Rail Road and subway sections will remain fully open on World Cup days even as neighboring NJ Transit service will be restricted to match-goers, MTA chairman Janno Lieber said Thursday.

But commuters to and from Long Island on the day of a match should ride via Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Terminal, Lieber said.

"It may be a faster and smoother commute for you on those match days," he said.

Lieber spoke at a news conference at the MTA's Rail Control Center in Manhattan where he, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani each promised that officials are ready for the predicted surge of passengers across the region's transportation system.

The first game locally is June 13, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, between Brazil and Morocco. There are eight game days for New Jersey, culminating in the final on July 19.

An estimated 40,000 per game are expected to travel via NJ Transit to the stadium, which holds about 82,500 people.

On match days and for major events, there will be extra subway service on the 1, C and F lines; the frequency of the 1 and C will be increased all day on weekend match days between 10 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.; and the 1, C and F lines will see service increased for post-match transit, Hochul’s office said in a news release.

There will also be additional 7 service so fans can go to and from the free Fan Zone at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. And "the MTA will run additional 7 train service on Mets game days where crowding is greatest."

In Manhattan on match days, beginning six hours before kickoff and ending three hours post final whistle, all nonofficial traffic will be banned on "dedicated travel corridors" along 42nd Street, parts of 5th and 6th avenues and 40th and 41st streets. The city is discouraging private vehicles.

Hochul, Lieber and Mamdani also announced additional changes to the transportation system, including restrictions on driving and deliveries and more buses and trains in service.

"You will see more traffic and maybe some more delays and some frustration, but try to turn that into a sense of celebration," Hochul said. "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?"

Meanwhile, one of the subway lines for which Lieber mentioned service would be boosted — the C, which stops at Penn Station and is one of the two closest lines to Thursday’s news conference — was delayed just as that event was getting underway, and during and after it began, for different reasons.

The first delay, according to MTA spokesman Eugene Resnick, was due to a police investigation at the Chambers Street stop in Manhattan; the second, after the news conference, was due to a sick passenger at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station in Brooklyn.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.