No Super Bowl special on Metro-North

After running special trains to the Meadowlands (via Secaucus) all season, I was surprised to see that there will be no special service for the Super Bowl. The MTA is advising Metro-North riders to take trains to GCT and transfer to Penn Station by subway. With parking severely curtailed for the game people will be depending on mass transit.

http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/SuperBowlXLVIII.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Penn Central wrote:After running special trains to the Meadowlands (via Secaucus) all season, I was surprised to see that there will be no special service for the Super Bowl. The MTA is advising Metro-North riders to take trains to GCT and transfer to Penn Station by subway. With parking severely curtailed for the game people will be depending on mass transit.

http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/SuperBowlXLVIII.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

During the regurar season MNR only runs game trains for the 1pm games. They don't do night games because of NJT's equipment cycles.

Penn Central wrote:After running special trains to the Meadowlands (via Secaucus) all season, I was surprised to see that there will be no special service for the Super Bowl. The MTA is advising Metro-North riders to take trains to GCT and transfer to Penn Station by subway. With parking severely curtailed for the game people will be depending on mass transit.

http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/SuperBowlXLVIII.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It makes sense to me. The football specials utilize NJT equipment and they want to run an additional 250 trains that weekend. I'd bet real money there's not an extra piece of equipment to spare for Metro North operations.

I am curious to see how much of an increased ridership there will be as the majority of tickets are allocated to the participating teams. Since, statistically, the stadium's team has low odds of actually participating in the Super Bowl, there's not going to be a rush of local people going to the game.

For the sake of argument let's say last years teams were playing this year (San Francisco and Baltimore). This means the majority of tickets will be going to those teams. I'm thinking the most that will travel to NJ to see the game will stay in the NYC or NY, not places where MNR or LIRR service.

NJTransit's going to have their hands tied up enough as it is, most likely. If New Haven Line passengers really want one-seat rides to Secaucus really badly, they could pay to ride some of the Amtrak trains from NHV/BRP/STM/NRO that are allegedly stopping at Secaucus on the day of the game.

If the Patriots make it, there *might* be a bump in ridership from their Connecticut fans who are lucky enough to go, and depending where they live, it may be easier for them to go over to the Harlem rather than down to the New Haven main. (Using 84 as the Patriots/Jets-Giants demarcation line, and assuming anyone east of Hartford probably would go to New Haven if they needed to catch the train) - Otherwise IMO the only bump in ridership you're going to see is all the railfans heading to New Jersey to use that fancy unlimited pass

Anyone who can afford to go to the Superbowl can most likely afford a Direct Train ride ticket on Amtrak from New Haven to Penn Station especially planning ahead with Fare code 1 + 25% off. However even with this option you still have to connect to another train at Penn

theozno wrote:Anyone who can afford to go to the Superbowl can most likely afford a Direct Train ride ticket on Amtrak from New Haven to Penn Station especially planning ahead with Fare code 1 + 25% off. However even with this option you still have to connect to another train at Penn

That might not be so, word is several Amtark trains will be calling at Secaucus Junction on game day.

I do not forsee many attendees staying east of New York. Nor does the writer of this article:
Super Bowl Travelers: Forget New York, We'll Stay in Jersey
(already posted in NJT forum)

Penn Central wrote:After running special trains to the Meadowlands (via Secaucus) all season, I was surprised to see that there will be no special service for the Super Bowl. The MTA is advising Metro-North riders to take trains to GCT and transfer to Penn Station by subway. With parking severely curtailed for the game people will be depending on mass transit.

http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/SuperBowlXLVIII.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

theozno wrote:Anyone who can afford to go to the Superbowl can most likely afford a Direct Train ride ticket on Amtrak from New Haven to Penn Station especially planning ahead with Fare code 1 + 25% off. However even with this option you still have to connect to another train at Penn

Many Amtrak trains will be making the extra stop at Secaucus Jct. From there it is a 10 minute ride to the Meadowlands Station. The branch has a capacity of 10,000 riders per hour, which could create another problem if 20,000 passengers attempt to use the train. That is a distinct possibility.

Penn Central wrote:After running special trains to the Meadowlands (via Secaucus) all season, I was surprised to see that there will be no special service for the Super Bowl. The MTA is advising Metro-North riders to take trains to GCT and transfer to Penn Station by subway.

truck6018 wrote:Since, statistically, the stadium's team has low odds of actually participating in the Super Bowl, there's not going to be a rush of local people going to the game.

Even though the Jets and Giants are both out, it's still the Super Bowl and it's the first time the Super Bowl has been played here. I bet many NYC-area fans will go just because they can do so without having to travel to one of the typical Super Bowl venues in sunnier locations down south or out west. And even though tickets may be "given" to teams, anyone anywhere can use Ticketmaster or StubHub. Let's say it happens to be Denver and Seattle, the two best-ranked teams right now. You won't have to be in or neither either city to get tickets. And those are both cross-country trips, so their own fans would have to pay more to get to NYC than say, Patriots fans who can drive or take the train.

Anyway, I can understand if NJT is expecting to be busy enough on its own territory that it won't be able to spare any equipment for a Metro-North run.

Having taken the A-train to Penn for a Giants game before, I can tell you this: if you're going, go really early. REALLY early. My wife and got there about 2 hours before kick-off, only to learn that's about the same time everyone else gets to Penn Station. I've never seen so many people crowded into one area. NJT doesn't open the doors for the stairways down to the platforms until the trains are in position and ready to begin loading, so it gets pretty hot and cramped upstairs in the mezzanine/waiting area. The monitors don't even say which track until shortly beforehand, so unless you're very familiar with NJT/Penn operations, it can be tough to guess where to wait if you want to try to be one of the first through the door (and perhaps get a seat on the train, rather than standing).

The area where we were waiting seemed to be rather far from any concessions or restrooms, so if you need any of that kind of stuff, get it immediately upon arrival at Penn, before you make your way toward the platform doors. Once you're in the waiting area, if it's really crowded, it can be difficult and time-consuming to get out and back.

pnaw10 wrote: even though tickets may be "given" to teams, anyone anywhere can use Ticketmaster or StubHub.

I just checked Ticketmaster and Stub Hub and the minimum price for one ticket is over $3,000. Most sellers are making you buy a minimum of 2 tickets. How many people do you know that are going to drop that much money?

Penn Central wrote:

theozno wrote:Anyone who can afford to go to the Superbowl can most likely afford a Direct Train ride ticket on Amtrak from New Haven to Penn Station especially planning ahead with Fare code 1 + 25% off. However even with this option you still have to connect to another train at Penn

Many Amtrak trains will be making the extra stop at Secaucus Jct. From there it is a 10 minute ride to the Meadowlands Station. The branch has a capacity of 10,000 riders per hour, which could create another problem if 20,000 passengers attempt to use the train. That is a distinct possibility.

With the platform extensions at Secaucus, using 10 car multilevel trains would up the capacity to around 16,000, and while certainly not a tremendous jump, its better than the previous 10k.

pnaw10 wrote:I bet many NYC-area fans will go just because they can do so without having to travel to one of the typical Super Bowl venues in sunnier locations down south or out west.

Only if they're the beneficiary of corporate tickets, or have a LOT of disposable income. Super Bowls never attract a significant number of local fans, wherever they take place, because of the combination of most tickets going to corporate sponsors, season ticket holders and employees of the teams involved, and other "connected" people, along with the extremely high cost of the tickets being resold by the legal scalpers. It's not something even a serious football fan can afford unless you have a lot of spare cash.

truck6018 wrote:

pnaw10 wrote: even though tickets may be "given" to teams, anyone anywhere can use Ticketmaster or StubHub.

I just checked Ticketmaster and Stub Hub and the minimum price for one ticket is over $3,000. Most sellers are making you buy a minimum of 2 tickets. How many people do you know that are going to drop that much money?

Good grief.. For that money you can get a 50"+ screen TV, all the chips, dip, wings, and pizza you want for XX amount of people and still have money left over.

The Super Bowl is that one sporting event that was truly "made for TV". If anything one could say that football itself was popularized by television in a way that no other sport has. Therefore, for one to spend that much dough on tix IMO they'd have to be truly die hard football fans. Not of whatever team is playing, but of the sport itself.

So yep definitely no reason for MNR to run any kind of special.