WrestleMania 35 was a long haul for fans watching at home, going from the 5 PM pre-show all the way to the earliest hours of Monday. For fans in attendance at Met Life stadium, there was more waiting after the show’s end. As reported by NJ.com, a single train was running to and from the stadium every half hour or so. Those who wished to use alternative travel arrangements like rideshare apps faced steep surge pricing and crowded rainy sidewalks.
Geez @NJTRANSIT @MetLifeStadium @WrestleMania @WWE you had thousands of people waiting in the rain for 3 hours for trains that were ridiculously delayed. Uber also impossible.
We’re your fans, some traveled far to be here. Please do better next time. @Deadspin @cagesideseats pic.twitter.com/H89wRNv8kp
— Sherri Nienass (@nienass) April 8, 2019
Due to WWE extending the event to a 12:30 AM end time, NJ Transit was working under less than ideal conditions. Jim Smith, a spokesperson for the organization, stated that the event’s marathon running time “had significant operational impacts on the evening”. He also stated that NJ Transit was unaware of WWE’s plans until late in the night.
The decision to extend this event resulted in our inability to operate some of those trains due to federal requirements limiting train crew hours.
During a press conference this morning, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued a statement about the fiasco.
At the end of the day, if folks are frustrated, they ought to be. I would have been crazed. It’s completely and utterly ‘dog-ate-my-homework’ unacceptable. We’re fixing it. We’re gonna learn from this. I’ll be damned if it happens again.
Amazing show. Awful travel/transport. Took us 3 hours to get back (we are 25 mins away) and I’m reading people are still waiting to get trains out of MetLife. @WWE you need to drop the elbows on @NJTRANSIT#Wrestlemania#WrestleTrainia
— Will Cook (@ThatWillFella) April 8, 2019
Governor Murphy plans to meet with NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett about the incident. WWE officials also released a statement saying that they “regret any inconveniences fans may have experienced with mass transportation after the event.”
