The final of the world championship is getting closer. The question is whether the road to the stadium will last

Normally, New Jersey's transportation system operates buses and trains, but after a series of recent fires and technical failures at New York's Penn Station, it was decided to also prepare water transportation as an emergency plan.

After one recent fire, New Jersey Transit CEO Kris Kolluri recalled sending a message to one of his closest colleagues at “some ungodly hour.”

Yes. We'll need a bigger boat

— he remembers saying then.

Kolluri ordered that two ferries and over 500 buses remain on standby so that in the event of problems at Penn Station, they will be able to take over the transport of passengers. If necessary, the vessels, each capable of carrying 600 people, will transport fans from New York to Weehawken, New Jersey, where they will be bused to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

This emergency plan of action for the World Cup was presented publicly during a press conference on Wednesday. At the same time, it is a clear warning signal to Amtrak, the national rail operator of the United States that operates Penn Station.

“What actually happens on Amtrak?”

For years, problems both at the station itself and on the surrounding rail lines used by New Jersey and New York carriers have regularly made life difficult for hundreds of thousands of commuters.

Now, however, Penn Station's problems may become a nationwide problem and bring considerable embarrassment to the United States on the international stage.

The vast majority of fans will stay overnight in New York and then go to eight matches played at MetLife Stadium, including the grand final of the tournament.

Without Amtrak, we will not be able to effectively implement the plan prepared for FIFA

Kolluri told reporters, referring to the world football federation.

He's not the only transportation official concerned about Amtrak's problems.

In recent weeks, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the CEO of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Janno Lieber, have also directed criticism at the carrier.

I don't know who runs Amtrak anymore. When you see the impact of events like we're seeing in New York right now, you start to wonder, “What exactly is going on at Amtrak?”

Lieber said in late May after one station fire that Amtrak blamed on its contractors.

Amtrak promises: it will be safe

Amtrak has been preparing for the world championship for many months and plans to keep additional technical teams on standby who will be able to quickly repair any failures.

The most common problems concern outdated electrical installations powering the trains. One recent fire, however, had a different cause: a mechanical failure that caused a component to become detached from the chassis of Amtrak's new Acela train.

Amtrak's chief operating officer, Gery Williams, assured that the carrier is adequately prepared for the World Cup.

Amtrak is fully committed to providing fans with safe and hassle-free travel throughout the New York and New Jersey region during the World Cup

– he wrote in a statement.

Together with our partners, we have been preparing for this event for many years. We have developed plans to limit the effects of potential failures, implemented emergency procedures to protect the safety, security and reliability of services, and invested approximately USD 30 million. (approx. PLN 109 million) in the modernization of infrastructure and the protection of particularly vulnerable sections of the network, which may be extremely intensively used during the tournament.

– he added.

It's not just failures that keep us awake at night

The tensions surrounding this issue have deep roots and also result from the complex structure of the regional railway network. Amtrak owns much of the infrastructure, including Penn Station and miles of track on which MTA and New Jersey Transit trains run. However, relations between the management of individual institutions have not been the best for a long time.

Rail problems are not the only concern about Penn Station. This week there was also a knife attack at the station, which injured six people.

Andy Byford, an Amtrak executive highly regarded for his past work at the helm of London's public transportation system, recently unveiled an ambitious plan to overhaul Penn Station.

However, the implementation of this project is expected to take six years and cost approximately USD 7 billion. (approx. PLN 25 400 million).