Penn Station

Penn Station became the focus of sharp public criticism in April 2026 when Amtrak confirmed it would bar ordinary commuters from the terminal for four hours before each of eight 2026 World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium across the Hudson. The policy affects up to 650,000 daily passengers per closure, with one falling during a weekday evening rush hour on 22 June (Norway v Senegal, 4–8pm). Only fans holding World Cup rail tickets will be admitted.

Penn Station sits beneath Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan and is the busiest rail hub in the Western Hemisphere. It serves New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road, and Amtrak intercity routes. The station is already chronically over-capacity during peak hours, and a rebuilding project , the James A. Farley Post Office conversion , has sought to create a grander concourse for decades. The closures are managed by Amtrak in coordination with NJ Transit and the World Cup host committee.

The decision drew immediate political pushback. New Jersey assemblyman Ravi Bhalla called the closures harmful to working-class commuters who have no alternative route. The episode is seen as a test case for how host cities balance mega-event logistics against everyday public transport obligations , a tension that has surfaced at every World Cup in Major transit hubs since 2014.