Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NJ Transit strike could create a traffic nightmare for Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' shows
By
Stephen Nessen
Published May 13, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
By
Stephen Nessen
Published May 13, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Giddy up?
Beyonce fans might be better off riding a horse to next week’s “Cowboy Carter” concerts at MetLife Stadium if a strike shuts down NJ Transit rail service.
NJ Transit’s train engineers could walk off the job as soon as Friday after Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers members voted to reject a tentative agreement between the leaders of the agency and the union. The possible labor action threatens not only the commutes of the railroad’s roughly 350,000 daily riders — but also one of the region’s biggest concert tours of the year.
Beyonce is scheduled to play five dates at the stadium between May 22 and May 29. But NJ Transit spokesperson John Chartier on Tuesday did not know if the 50,000 people who can fit into the venue for a concert will be able to take mass transit to the shows.
“Meadowlands service for the Beyonce concert remains TBD,” said Chartier.
NJ Transit has already announced it canceled rail and bus service to a pair of Shakira concerts at MetLife Stadium on Thursday and Friday.
The agency's engineers have been working without a contract for six years, and have not received a pay increase during that time.
NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri accused the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, which represents 450 train engineers, of dragging out negotiations by changing their demands for a base salary. According to Kolluri, NJ Transit initially offered an average salary of $172,000 per year while the union called for $190,000 only to increase it to $220,000 in recent discussions.
The union said Kolluri is misrepresenting the discussions and that it would accept a median wage increase to $171,000 by 2029. Both sides were in Washington on Monday for mediation, but did not reach an agreement.
MetLife’s website recommended people take Coach bus service or carpool to the Shakira shows this week. The website also suggested attendees could take an Uber or Lyft to the stadium, but warned high demand could cause up to two-hour waits to get a for-hire vehicle after the concert.
Transportation in and out of the Meadowlands venue for major events is often fraught even when NJ Transit trains are running as scheduled.
When MetLife hosted the 2014 Super Bowl, nearly 15,000 more people took NJ Transit than expected, leading to dangerous overcrowding. Riders faced hours of delays, and the agency had to send in 50 buses after the game to help bring people away from the stadium.
And in 2019, smackdown fans got bent out of shape when the Wrestlemania 35 show went on well past midnight, later than expected. NJ Transit said federal rules wouldn’t allow many of its engineers to work that late, leaving thousands of fans stranded out by the marsh.
Tagged
new jersey
transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .