‘It will be ready for the World Cup:’ Thursday game at Foxborough to serve as train test run
Stadium capacity for the friendly match is 66,600, according to Unified Events, an organizer.
Teams representing Haiti, Scotland, Norway, Morocco, France, England, Ghana, and others will play World Cup games in Foxborough between June 13 and the tournament’s quarterfinal match on July 9.
The tournament is expected to bring up to 2 million visitors to Greater Boston, as the region also welcomes tourists marking the country’s 250th anniversary on July 4 and Sail250, a gathering of tall ships beginning July 10.
During an interview Friday on GBH’s Boston Public Radio, Phillip Eng — interim transportation secretary and MBTA general manager — acknowledged that the agency will be under the spotlight as it provides transportation for the international tournament.
“Every time the team presents to me on the World Cup, I get a little nervous,” Eng said. “It’s exciting. There is some adrenaline to it that you need to have.”
The state also announced Friday that the MBTA is getting a $3.25 million federal grant to pay for security.
Tom Ryan, a senior adviser at A Better City, a business and transit advocacy group, said he’s confident the MBTA will meet transportation demands for the friendly match and tournament games, including two knockout contests.
The T’s experience running special-event trains to Foxborough for Taylor Swift concerts and the 2023 Army–Navy football game has been good preparation, he said.
Last Saturday, the T operated a sold-out train for Boston Legacy FC’s inaugural game at Gillette, transporting 1,440 passengers, a commuter rail official said.
“They have a plan that I’m confident will work,” Ryan said.
But Jeff Rosenblum, interim executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance, said the group is concerned about the T’s ability to meet the World Cup’s transportation needs.
The commuter rail service will accommodate about a third of the stadium’s capacity for tournament games, he said in an email.
Some game times, including the friendly match, overlap with the rush-hour commute, adding tens of thousands of extra riders during the system’s busiest periods, Rosenblum said.
The group is also worried Foxboro Station upgrades to accommodate additional trains won’t be finished and fully tested in time, he said.
“It would be pretty remarkable for the MBTA to pull off enough commuter rail service to service the demand,” Rosenblum wrote.
Eng said work on the temporary platform in Foxborough is done and the T is nearing completion on constructing a permanent, high-level platform there.
The project is expected to speed up passenger boarding and disembarkations at the station during the World Cup, officials said.
“It will be ready for the World Cup,” Eng said.
He also encouraged people who can work remotely to do so during World Cup match days. Four of the June contests coincide with Red Sox home games.
“Don’t try to drive,” Eng said.
For the friendly match, Eng said the MBTA expects more of a local crowd.
Trains will start leaving South Station at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, and run direct to Foxborough about every 15 minutes, the T said. MBTA, Transit Police, and staff from Keolis Commuter Services, which runs commuter rail, will manage lines and direct passengers at both stations, officials said. Gates at Gillette open at 2 p.m., according to the stadium website.
Tickets are divided into boarding groups, Group A and Group B. Group A passengers are encouraged to arrive at South Station by 12 p.m. and by 12:30 p.m. for Group B, the T said.
Thirty minutes after the game’s final whistle, trains will begin departing Foxborough and accepting passengers on a first-come, first-serve basis, the T said. Boston-bound trains will leave about every 15 minutes.
Prepaid parking is available in lots on the same side as the stadium and general parking, which is included in the ticket price, will be in lots along Route 1 south, according to the Gillette Stadium website for the match.
Because of the friendly match, there will be no regular commuter rail service to Foxborough on Thursday. The T has also announced other commuter rail schedule changes on Thursday for the Franklin/Foxboro, Fairmount, and Providence/ Stoughton lines.
Train tickets for the seven World Cup matches in Foxborough go on sale April 8 on the mTicket app, and buyers must have a match ticket for the same day to make a purchase, according to the T’s website.
T officials have cautioned that parking could be scarce during the tournament, with the number of general public spots near the stadium plunging from the typical 20,000 to 5,000, a 75 percent drop.
Earlier this month, a FIFA spokesperson said it’s possible additional parking will become available. FIFA didn’t respond Friday to requests for comment.
Fourteen train sets comprising seven double-decker cars are being put into service to transport fans, including two that will be designated as backups, according to the T.
The agency is also gathering hotel-booking data to shape transportation plans and intends to announce park-and-ride options, Eng said.
Buses will be offered to transport ticketholders to the stadium from hotels, according to a Boston 26 Host Committee spokesperson. She said details are forthcoming.
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, or GATRA, which covers Foxborough, are also expected to offer transportation during the tournament, Eng said.
On Friday, representatives for both agencies said service details will be announced later.
Chris Dempsey, a partner at the urban planning firm Speck Dempsey, said the World Cup is a high-profile challenge for the T, but the system should be judged by its daily reliability rather than how it performs during a short-term event.
“We got to remember that the T’s core job is the day-to-day commute and not special events,” he said.
Laura Crimaldi can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @lauracrimaldi.
