NJ Transit blames WWE after thousands of WrestleMania fans get stuck in the rain



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Wrestling fans who had long been waiting for NJ Transit trains after the end of WrestleMania 35 were shot dead by the end of the rally, officials said.

In a statement apologizing for the delays, NJ Transit blamed WrestleMania for the end of its race, which would have been two hours later than the scheduled time at 22:30. end time. Because of federal regulations, officials said, the agency was unable to force train employees to work overtime to equip additional trains.

"The main factor contributing to post-event delays was WWE's decision to extend the event at 12:30 pm, which had a significant operational impact on the evening. NJ Transit was informed of this decision only late last night, "said Jim Smith, a spokeswoman, in a statement released Monday.

"The decision to extend this event prevented us from operating some of these trains because of the federal requirements limiting the hours of work of train crews," Smith said.

At a press conference on Monday morning, Gov. Phil Murphy said the event had taken place later than planned and that three train crews had been "out of date."

"At the end of the day, if people are frustrated, they should be. I would have been crazy. It's totally and totally "unacceptable," said Murphy, about communicating with the riders about what caused the delays.

"We are repairing it. We will learn from that. I will be damned if it happens again. "

The governor announced his intention to meet Kevin Corbett, Executive Director of NJ Transit, about what happened.

NJ Transit officials stated that federal regulations limiting the number of hours of daily service per train could work with tied hands.

WWE officials apologized saying they "regretted the inconvenience that fans might have with public transportation after the event". They did not specify if the event would take place later than expected.

The pre-event plan of NJ Transit provided for the use of six oars after the event until about 1 am, based on the initial WWE program, Smith said. At the end of the evening, NJ Transit transferred more than 12,000 customers to the MetLife stadium, he said. The two-lane railway line can not carry more than 13,000 people at the hour.

The agency said that she had made some adjustments to accommodate the last riders.

"Last minute adjustments, such as retaining the last trains of the night and the addition of several additional trips between Secaucus and Penn Station, New York, using crews and trains from all over of the system, were carried out, "said Smith.

Fans complained about the long wait for trains coming from the MetLife stadium after the end of WrestleMania 35. The rain added an insult to the injury, prompting slogans "No trains, we are rioting". Some fans also blamed WWE for ending the show after midnight, rather than earlier, as was the case in past events.

"NJ Transit's top priority is always the safety of our customers and employees. We regret the extended release time that some customers have experienced, "Smith said in his release.

World Wrestling Entertainment officials said 82,265 spectators attended the competition on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, 264 fewer than the 82,529 fans attending the Super Bowl LXVIII five years ago.

NJ Advance Media reporter Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Larry Higgs can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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