Commuters, state transit brace for impact of World Cup surge 100 days away

BOSTON — As seven FIFA World Cup Games hosted at Gillette Stadium near, the state and its commuters are gearing up for a big spike in public transit use this summer.

During a meeting last week, the MBTA said they’re planning to move about 20,000 passengers per match to Foxboro.

They are also planning to activate 14 more Commuter Rail trains on each matchday. For reference, only one more is activated during Patriots gamedays, and 4 were utilized during the 2023 Army-Navy matchup.

All games at Gillette Stadium will be held between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m..

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch is the co-chair of the FIFA 26 Caucus.

He told Boston 25 News reporter Daniel Coates over the phone Tuesday that they’re still waiting for federal funds to come down with 100 days until the games.

“The transportation money is beginning to flow, so we’re very happy about that,” Lynch said. “I think Massachusetts received about $8 million today.”

He said his team is prioritizing local security and awareness for the games.

Rep. Lynch addressed everyday MBTA commuters.

“Pay attention,” he said. “Be aware of the start times for these games... Do your best to try and avoid crunch time when the big rush is on for attending these games.”

Meanwhile, MBTA commuters at South Station were wary of the transit operation to come this June.

“Do you think the MBTA is ready for this?” Boston 25 News reporter Daniel Coates asked Steve Lowe, a commuter from Hanson.

“I don’t think so,” Lowe said. “They’re not even ready for their standard commute time!”

Another commuter added, “I plan on going [to the World Cup], just not by train.”

On Tuesday night, newly implemented turnstiles were still out of service and covered. The devices to scan tickets were recently shut down due to weather concerns.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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