I was wondering if anyone takes public transit to MLS games. I know its big in Toronto and, from what I've read, there were a lot of ppl using it for the NY game last weekend. What about other cities? What has your experience been like? I've taken BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to San Jose games at the Coliseum. I find it really useful and saves the hassle of parking. Also allows for plenty of tailgating without having to worry about driving back. I haven't tried taking Caltrain to Earthquakes games in Santa Clara, but I might give it a shot this season. I'm curious to hear other people's experiences.
It's fantastic. I go to just about every match by transit. Usually I park and ride the light rail, but if it's a weekday match I just hop on the bus. I've heard as much as 60% of Timbers attendance arrives via public transit. I've also heard 80%. I can't recall. The stadium has hardly any parking, so there isn't much of an option anyway. You can get there from just about anywhere in the metro area fairly easily. Also, for those who don't have an annual transit pass, Timbers season tickets come with free public transit for every match day.
Ive been to 2 DC United games, theres a metro stop a block away, and the walk is great. New england....no public transit available at all. Nothing.
I know that the stadium they were thinking about building in Boston would have literally been on top of the most used subway line in North America (green line). A lot of people take the green line to Celtics, Red Sox, and Bruins games. If the revs had built a stadium there, it would have been beyond convenient. The green line intersects with every subway line in Boston and about 1/3 of the commuter lines.
When I went to DC to see an away game we took the Metro from our hotel to the stadium. As far as C-bus goes I know OSU students get some absurdly cheap deal that's like 10 bucks for a ticket and free bus ride to the game. I think there's something else too but I just saw the flyer in passing. Though the tagline was pretty awesome "Massive Party".
Well unfortunately, Kraft land is a 50 minute drive from Boston. However, the MBTA is one of the most used systems in the states. It averages 1.4 million riders a day. Considering that there are 7 million people in the Boston-Providence area, 1.4 million is a pretty high percentage. Build a stadium near an MBTA station and I think it would be a different story.
There's no public transportation available for games at the HDC. Not that I'd use it anyway - I hate public transportation.
There is a train station right next to the stadium. It's on the commuter rail. They just don't use it for soccer games.
True, but there's no good public transit to the HDC. From my mom's place in LA, it would take 3 times longer to get there on public transit as opposed to driving.
Vancouver has a fairly developed rail system for a West Coast city. BC Place is only a couple of minutes walk from the Stadium/Chinatown station in this map (right click and view image to enlarge): The Canada line (runs N/S in the image) was opened just before the Olympics, while the Expo Line (E/W blue line) was opened for the 1986 Expo. There's also a couple of expansions planned for 2020ish to connect to a few of the other suburbs and University of BC. Basically everything ends by the Waterfront where BC Place is and where they would like to build their SSS.
It doesn't seem to be the case for me from San Francisco / Bay Area. It takes a little longer by public transit, but not enough to discourage me from using it. In LA, three times as long means 2:20 as opposed to 45 min. In the Bay Area, its 1:10 using public transit instead of 40 min via car to get to the Coliseum. Factoring in bridge tolls and parking fees, I stick with public transit.
I didn't say it was good. But it's not the same as places where there is literally zero public transit to the stadium.
i haven't used public transit yet but normally i would. just happened to have had to be in the area the morning of our first game.
public transit is a joke in southern california. if the bus drivers arent going on strike, the transit auth is raising the prices.
To point out something here that isn't fully made clear in the above article, public-transit-authority shuttles to sporting events in most states are basically outlawed under a law drafted by the Bush administration. Under the Federal law, sports teams must not negotiate with public transit agencies at all if even one private bus line bids for the service, no matter what the bid price. It's take the private bid or go without. It was crazy considering shuttle service to M's/Hawks/Sounders was about the only service that actually made money for Metro. (Most transit authorities don't make money on their regular service, but special service usually involves a subsidy from the team or event.) One private bus line made a crazy high bid, so no service here for the past 2-3 years. The WA congressional delegation negotiated an exception for our state this year, but were careful to not try and repeal it nationwide because many red-state senators believe in the law. Apparently taking public transit directly to a sporting event is socialism.
The weekday games for me are a toss-up since I work in the suburbs and live in the city. Driving home and then to the game via public transit is difficult time-wise so I usually just drive straight to the stadium from work. But every weekend game I take public transit without fail. I can drink in my 'hood beforehand with friends, head to the stadium with them for one or two more without worry. And even if I weren't drinking, public transit truly is less of a hassle than driving. Getting out of the parking lots after the game is pretty bad. It's pure comedy watching the cars trying to get out of the North Lot as streams of people block them and don't care (myself included). I'd also rather not pay $15 or $20 for parking near the stadium.
i've taken mass transit to both red bull games this year (season opener and friendly). although i live about a 15 min drive from the stadium, i prefer taking the subway there since parking and traffic after the game is supposed to be really rough. there are tons of viable options for public transportation to the RB arena (commuter rail + subway, bus + subway, subway directly to the stadium, or even taking a 20 min walk from newark penn station). people still choose to drive in, which i think is pretty dumb
Stade Saputo in Montreal is a 15 minute train ride from downtown. The train station is pretty close to the stadium.
I've taken mass transit to both games as well. I take the light rail to Newark Penn Station and walk from there. Very easy. From what I hear, it's an easy PATH ride from NYC to get to the game, but it's crowded on way back because they haven't upgraded the Harrison PATH station yet. That should be done for next year probably.