Mass Transit Super Bowl

The Mass Transit Super Bowl was a public transportation plan and marketing strategy conceived for Super Bowl XLVIII and Super Bowl Week, a series of events leading up to the February 2, 2014, football game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. It was originally projected that over 400,000 people would come to the New York–New Jersey region for the game and related activities, and that over 80,000 would attend the game itself; actual patronage of the metropolitan area during that time was projected to be over 500,000. Metropolitan area transit agencies worked with the National Football League, organizers of the event, and developed special services, schedules, fares, and maps to promote the use of mass transit during the week, which began with the arrival of teams on January 26.

On game day, those traveling by train experienced overcrowding and long delays due to miscalculated estimations and an unanticipated surge of passengers, which led to complaints and criticism.

Geography and transportation network

Super Bowl XLVIII was the first to be played outdoors in a cold weather environment, and the first in which two US states (New York and New Jersey) hosted the event. The combination of sports facilities in New Jersey and hotel facilities in New York was a major factor in the NFL decision to choose the location. Activities related to the Super Bowl were spread across the region on both sides of the Hudson River. More than 20 miles separated Super Bowl Boulevard in the Manhattan borough of New York City and the Florham Park. In between is Jersey City in Newark, site of Media Day, and the stadium and Seahawks' practice facility in New Jersey Meadowlands in East Rutherford, a relatively remote location several miles from central business districts which hosted events in the week leading up to the game.

It was anticipated that nearly 400,000 people would visit the region during Super Bowl Week and that on game day, 10,000 to 12,000 would take the train and 40,000 to 50,000 would travel by bus. While those numbers were not extraordinary in comparison to weekday commuting in the region, many out-of-town visitors were unfamiliar with the local transportation systems.

Transportation plans for what was billed the first "mass transit Super Bowl" were announced in December 2013. Public transportation in the metro area is provided by a variety of public agencies and private companies, namely New Jersey Transit (NJT), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), Amtrak, and New York Waterway. While there is some coordination and joint operations and fare-sharing within the vast complex transit network, each is independent of the other, and charges its own fares, sometimes leading to complicated transfers and other logistical complications between them. NJT, as lead agency, in conjunction with metropolitan partner agencies and the host committee developed special services, fares, and maps and advertising campaigns to promote the use of public transportation during Super Bowl Week.

Super Bowl Week

In the week leading up to the game, there were various events throughout, some of which are NFL-sponsored. Highlights of the week as presented by the Host Committee were:
* January 26 – Arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport and welcome in Jersey City