Port Authority
Bi-state agency running PATH trains, GWB, and three major airports; co-recipient of World Cup security funding.
Last refreshed: 2 May 2026
Can PATH absorb 650,000 diverted Penn Station commuters on World Cup match days?
Timeline for Port Authority
MetLife: $150 rail, four-hour Penn shutdown
2026 FIFA World CupMentioned in: New York gets $17.2m for Cup security
2026 FIFA World Cup- How do I get to MetLife Stadium if Penn Station is closed?
- PATH trains, ferries, and Amtrak via Moynihan Train Hall are alternatives, but none matches Penn Station capacity.Source: Penn Station closure reporting
- What is the PATH train and does it go to MetLife?
- PATH connects Manhattan to New Jersey via rapid transit. It does not go directly to MetLife but serves as an alternative entry to the NJ Transit network.Source: Port Authority
- What is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey?
- The Port Authority is a bi-state agency founded in 1921 that operates JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the PATH rapid transit system, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
- How does the Port Authority fit into the World Cup transport plan?
- PATH trains serve as the fare-free overflow route for commuters displaced by the four-hour Penn Station restriction on NJ Transit during each of MetLife Stadium's eight World Cup matches. The Port Authority also received $1.5 million in federal security funding.Source: Lowdown
- Is PATH the same as NJ Transit?
- No. PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and is a separate system from NJ Transit, which is a state agency. They serve overlapping but distinct routes.
Background
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state public agency founded in 1921, responsible for the transport infrastructure linking the two states. It owns and operates John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty airports (three of the four airports serving the New York metropolitan area), the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the Bayonne Bridge, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Its PATH rapid transit system connects Manhattan (33rd Street, 23rd Street, 14th Street, and the World Trade Center) with Newark, Hoboken, and Jersey City.
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Port Authority received $1.5 million in federal counter-drone and security funding from New York Governor Kathy Hochul's $17.2 million allocation, alongside NJ Transit ($2.61 million for MTA), NYPD ($6.46 million), and State Police ($6.65 million) . PATH trains serve as a fare-free alternative route for the estimated 650,000 daily commuters displaced by the Penn Station access restriction: the New York Penn Station to Secaucus Junction service will be limited to World Cup ticket-holders for four hours before kickoff at each of MetLife Stadium's eight World Cup matches.
The Port Authority is a separate body from NJ Transit and the MTA; the disambiguation matters operationally. PATH's capacity is significantly lower than Penn Station's NJ Transit service, making it an imperfect but essential overflow route for match-day mobility.