TRANSIT SERVICE GUIDE ARCHIVE — TRANSPORTATION & MOBILITY
The September 20 Jets–Packers rail plan has ended. Here is the service record.
The Meadowlands service window has passed. This permanent guide preserves the Secaucus transfer, wristband rule and additional Ramsey Route 17 transfer that applied to Sloatsburg riders; it is not a current trip plan.
Service closeout — 8:49 p.m. Sunday
- Event window: the September 20 Jets–Packers Meadowlands service plan has ended.
- Historical time: NJ Transit's “not before 6:15 p.m.” wording described the earliest final return departure; it is not current service advice.
- Current Rockland service: NJ Transit marked Main/Bergen County and Pascack Valley on time at 8:49 p.m.
- Separate weekend work: the Port Jervis substitute-bus window continues until 12:30 a.m. Monday, September 21.
- Next trip: use NJ Transit's current trip planner, rail-status and elevator pages rather than this event timetable.
Historical transfer paths
- Pascack Valley or Suffern: riders took the train to Secaucus, then changed for the Meadowlands shuttle.
- Sloatsburg or farther west: riders used the temporary bus schedule, changed to a train at Ramsey Route 17, then changed again at Secaucus.
- Going in: stadium-bound shuttles left Secaucus from 9:41 a.m. through 2:15 p.m.
- Ticket and wristband: riders were told to buy the round trip to Meadowlands Station before boarding, then show that ticket at Secaucus for the required wristband.
Why Sloatsburg had an extra transfer Sunday
The game fell inside NJ Transit's scheduled Port Jervis Line weekend work window, from 12:30 a.m. Saturday, September 19, through 12:30 a.m. Monday, September 21. During that window, Sloatsburg and stations west of Suffern used substitute buses and transferred between bus and train at Ramsey Route 17.
Suffern stayed on the train side of the plan. Weekend local trains continued between Suffern and Hoboken, with no express service. The additional Ramsey Route 17 transfer did not apply to every Rockland rider.
At Secaucus, the wristband mattered
There was no direct Meadowlands train from a Rockland-serving line. At Secaucus, riders followed the lower-level Meadowlands connection, showed a ticket to Meadowlands Station and collected the wristband required for the stadium shuttle.
Someone who reached the stadium another way could buy a shuttle wristband at tents near Meadowlands Station beginning 2½ hours before the game. That wristband covered only Meadowlands–Secaucus travel; another ticket was required beyond Secaucus.
Why 6:15 p.m. was not a promised Rockland connection
NJ Transit said the final return train would not leave Meadowlands Station before 6:15 p.m. End-of-event trains could leave earlier or later than the listed times as crowd volume changed, and additional service could operate after 6:15 if needed.
That language did not promise that a westbound Rockland train or substitute bus would wait.
What riders were told before boarding
NJ Transit advised riders to buy a round-trip ticket from their originating station to Meadowlands Station before traveling. The agency said an onboard purchase carried a $5 surcharge per ticket.
The event timetable was not a full itinerary from every Rockland station. Riders needed the NJ Transit trip planner ↗ and the temporary weekend schedule ↗ to build the full journey.
What Sunday's weather and accessibility checks showed
The National Weather Service forecast for Rutherford ↗, updated at 3:41 a.m. Sunday, calls for rain today and thunderstorms possible after 5 p.m. The forecast gives a 100% precipitation chance, one-quarter to one-half inch possible, a high near 68 and southeast wind from 7–9 mph. Bring rain protection, leave extra time and recheck before traveling.
The NWS 4:28 a.m. forecast discussion ↗ says rainfall forecasts remain lower and flash flooding is not expected. It allows for localized minor flooding or ponding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas. Never drive into standing water.
At 6:54 a.m. Sunday, NJ Transit listed both Ramsey Route 17 elevators and all seven Secaucus rail elevators in service. Ridgewood's center-platform elevator was out; Ridgewood is not part of either default path in this guide, but the outage matters if a trip planner sends you through that station. Main/Bergen County and Pascack Valley were both marked on time. Recheck the elevator-status page ↗ and live rail status ↗ before leaving.
What changes for a resident: the event-specific shuttle and transfer instructions are no longer a current trip plan; use NJ Transit's live tools for any new journey.
Primary sources: NJ Transit Jets–Packers event advisory ↗; the official September 20 Meadowlands timetable ↗; the Port Jervis infrastructure advisory ↗; the temporary weekend schedule ↗; live rail status ↗; elevator status ↗; the National Weather Service Rutherford forecast ↗, updated September 20 at 3:41 a.m.; and the NWS 4:28 a.m. area forecast discussion ↗. Event rules, service times, weekend-work instructions, Rockland-serving line status, listed elevator availability and the forecast were rechecked September 20, 2026, at 6:54 a.m. EDT. Recheck before travel; The Rockland Edit cannot guarantee an unchanged platform, held connection, forecast or live accessibility condition.
Closeout check: at 8:49 p.m. September 20, NJ Transit's current status page no longer listed the Jets–Packers notice among its travel alerts and marked Main/Bergen County and Pascack Valley on time. The separate Port Jervis weekend bus plan remained active through 12:30 a.m. Monday.