Rail service from Penn Station to the Meadowlands (Giants Stadium, Izod Center, that huge race track) all of 11 miles to the west seems like a perfectly logical thing in the modern era, though the reports on the fledgling Meadowlands Rail Line at the U2 concert last week were horrible, with people stuck for hours somewhere in the swamps of Jersey after the concert.
Reader Alison writes:
The show was fun but that was a fleeting memory as I tried to get home. I had my train tickets in advance. The problem was the lack of preparation by NJTransit. As a result of their lack of foresight, they turned what could have been a nice evening out into something reminiscent of some bad Holocaust movie. It took us several hours to get out of NJ. I really thought we would be stranded and though I don’t know for sure, it wouldn’t surprise me if people were. Horrible.
Well, thousands will put the Meadowlands Line to the test again tonight, as hometown hero Bruce Springsteen fills Giants Stadium with cries of “Bruuuuce!!!!” Bruce plays five nights at the Meadowlands; U2 covered his “She’s the One” in honor of the Boss’s birthday last week–hopefully Bruce will return the favor.
I put in two calls to the New Jersey Transit media line to see what went wrong for U2 last week, and if riders can expect anything better than Alison’s “bad Holocaust movie” tonight and for the rest of the Springsteen dates. NJT did not return my calls.
UPDATE: They still haven’t returned my calls, but they did get back to the NY Times for an article about last week’s transit nightmare. A spokesperson said: “The U2 crowd seemed to be a more mass transit-oriented crowd that included more people from New York City.”
The New Jersey Transit site has a page dedicated to the Meadowlands service, which it calls “Frequent, Convenient and Affordable.”
One tip we gleaned from the angry riders last week is BUY YOUR RETURN TICKET in advance–though even that bit of forethought didn’t help Alison much.
Finally, some Springsteen-on-the-subway lyrics from “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” for all those taking the train to the show tonight.
And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
As the tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
But it’s too hot in these tunnels you can get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop but they push you back down in your seat
Your heart starts beatin’ faster as you struggle to your feet
Then you’re outa that hole and back up on the street