FIFA organizers say North Texas’ plan to get fans around the region during the World Cup is ready to go and can adapt to changing conditions.
While fans will cheer for a variety of countries this summer, organizers of the FIFA World Cup in North Texas want to ensure how people get to games at “Dallas Stadium” in Arlington is a win for the region too.
Now, just over two months out from kickoff, the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee is sharing another key piece on Thursday on how thousands of fans will move about the region during the 39-day World Cup.
Monica Paul is president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee.
“We want them to feel like it’s safe, it’s secure and it’s an easy mode of transportation because we feel like it will be a great reflection on our entire region,” Paul said.
Organizers shared a variety of maps reflecting a part of World Cup transportation planning, starting when fans arrive at either DFW International Airport or Dallas Love Field.
It includes utilizing the DART green line rail to access the FIFA Fan Fest at Fair Park and being aware of road closures around the International Broadcast Center in downtown Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
Michael Morris with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) says the biggest piece of the transportation plan centers around getting people to and from Arlington on matchdays.
“Having seamless delivery of 80,000 people to and from the stadium for the nine matches is probably the most important part of the plan,” Morris said.
Morris says that to meet that goal, there will be an increased utilization of Trinity Railway Express trains, which will add increased passenger capacity by adding a fourth car to each train and running them more frequently.
Additionally, TRE rail service, and the DART rail feeding into TRE will be active on Sunday, June 14, for the first match hosted in North Texas featuring the Netherlands vs Japan.
“My biggest concern with international guests is having the magnitude of transit capacity to move 10,000 or 15,000 people by transit.”
For fans traveling by rail, the CentrePoint Station, south of DFW Airport, will serve as the exit location to a waiting charter bus that will allow fans with game tickets to be dropped off at a parking lot about a half-mile from the stadium.
It’s similar to the details NBC-5 first reported on the World Cup transportation plan late last year.
On Thursday, officials did clarify the preference for local fans to drive to matches if they have tickets, freeing up space on trains, and a potential bus bridge of 125 charter buses, for international and domestic guests visiting the region.
Morris says there is 16,000 parking spaces near the stadium that will accommodate local fans, but cautioned street closures around Dallas Stadium will mean even experienced gameday drivers will need to plan carefully on how and when to arrive on matchdays.