Riders Blast NJ Transit For Hours Long Wait After Wrestlemania

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — It took hours for people to get home from Wrestlemania 35 at MetLife Stadium. Many blamed NJ Transit for the long wait, but NJ Transit put the blame squarely on the event's organizer, World Wrestling Entertainment, ending the event late.

NJ Transit said the "primary factor" contributing to the delays was the WWE's decision to extend the event 12:30 a.m., which had "significant operational impacts on the evening."

NJ Transit was not informed of the decision until late Sunday night. The agency planned to use six sets of trains until 1 a.m. based on WWE's initial schedule. NJ Transit had said trains were scheduled to arrive every 10 minutes until the crowds died down.

But the rail system was quickly overwhelmed and caused major delays for people trying to get back to Secaucus, Penn Station, and into New York City.

"The decision to extend this event resulted in our inability to operate some of those trains due to federal requirements limiting train crew hours," NJ Transit said in a statement. "Last-minute adjustments such as holding the final trains of the night and adding several additional trips between Secaucus and Penn Station New York by utilizing crews and trains from throughout the system were made."

Other reports and posts on social media from people at MetLife indicated they waited for hours to get picked up at MetLife Stadium. Some people said they did not get home until 3 a.m.

The ordeal was akin to the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife when thousands of fans had to wait hours to leave.

Attendees blasted NJ Transit on social media after Wrestlemania let out:

In the end, NJ Transit said it transported more than 12,000 people from MetLife Stadium.
"NJ Transit's top priority is always the safety of our customers and employees," NJ Transit said in its statement. "We regret the extended exiting time some customers experienced."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com