MBTA says it will cost $80 for a commuter rail ticket to the World Cup

Commuter rail tickets to Foxboro station for World Cup matches will cost $80 roundtrip.

That’s $50 more than what it cost soccer fans who traveled by rail for a friendly match between France and Brazil in late March.

The MBTA is running special event trains from South Station to the station in Foxborough, which is walking distance to Gillette Stadium. Seven World Cup matches will be played at Gillette starting on June 13.

In a statement Monday, the T said the $80 tickets “are good for travel on the entire Commuter Rail network on match days, allowing visitors more flexibility and options in choosing where to stay to attend World Cup matches.”

Commuter rail tickets for the first five matches will be available for purchase via the MBTA mTicket app on Wednesday, April 8 at 11 a.m. The transit authority said people who need match tickets should buy them "as early as possible."

To snag a seat on the Gillette-bound trains, passengers must enter the same email address on the app that they used to purchase their match tickets.

All riders, including children, must possess a match ticket to hop aboard. Regular tickets and commuter rail passes won't get you on the train.

That includes the discounted monthly passes the T is offering riders as they brace for droves of visitors to the region for not only the World Cup, but also Tall Ships and 250th anniversary celebrations of America.

"Taking the Commuter Rail will be one of the easiest and most affordable ways to get to and from the Stadium," Phil Eng, Massachusetts' interim secretary of transportation and general manager of the MBTA, said in Monday's statement.

He added the agency "is proud to have the opportunity to enable football fans from near and far to travel the Commonwealth, and we are ready to deliver unprecedented transit services to the seven World Cup matches held at Boston Stadium."

The T has committed to moving 20,000 people per match by rail during the tournament. The agency will send out 14 trains on match days to provide direct service between South Station and Foxboro.

The match day plans will shake up many of the transit system's schedules from June 8-12. On its website, the agency says it'll release the full scope of changes "in the coming weeks."

For now though, service on the Green, Red, Blue and Orange subway lines and eight bus routes [SL1, SL3, SL5, 1, 22, 39, 66, 110] will be extended on weekday match days until 2 a.m. Those routes will stay open until 4 a.m. for the two weekend matches.

The T said "travelers should expect significant traffic delays on match days," and urged people "to plan ahead, adjust travel times, and take public transportation whenever possible. Choosing transit can help reduce congestion, improve safety, and ensure a smoother experience for everyone traveling this summer."