Governor Kathy Hochul: Oh, how sweet it is. How sweet it is. Let's keep it going, Knicks. I was just reflecting on the crack of dawn, literally crack of dawn — when the skies are orange and blue early this morning when I took my walk — and you know what I noticed? New Yorkers are making eye contact again. It was shocking. People looking up and have an extra lift in their step and wearing their Knicks gear as I was trying to go incognito, but everybody seemed to know there's just something magical in the air. So, it's a very special day. Go Knicks. Make us all so proud.
I'm here standing here with our mayor, who is aligned with me in our strong desire to keep this city safe, protected, accessible and fun during the next few months or next month and a half of World Cup games, as well as many, many other activities over this summer, so I want to thank him and his incredible team of commissioners who are assembled here as well to make sure that we do have exactly all those accomplished by the end of the summer. So, [I’m] excited to partner with the mayor on this. Our MTA Chair and CEO, Janno Lieber — we've been to a lot of battles together, and I appreciate your strong, consistent leadership [of] this extraordinary organization. And, as I mentioned, the number of commissioners that the mayor will introduce, but also Thomas Taffe from the MTA; Police Chief Demetrius Crichlow, the New York City Transit president; Justin Brannan, my state director of major events and operations, who've been very busy this summer; and all the officials who keep us on time.
But there is incredible energy, as I mentioned, but it's not just the Knicks, but the Knicks plus. Knicks Plus. What a year. What a year this is. To also have the eyes of the world centered upon our city and our region for the World Cup games, which are just — I was at a soccer field yesterday with children, and everybody’s just so fired up about this. It's a wonderful feeling.
But we also want to make sure we're ready, not just for our residents but for visitors from literally around the world. And that calls upon us, for people who are not as experienced with our subways and buses and trains, to be able to have a very safe, positive experience as well as they experience the world's largest sporting event. That's what we're going to be hosting. So, when it comes to safeguarding our subways, we've been working hard to already build the foundation.
When I first became governor, we had an enormous spike in subway crimes. People were fearful of going on the subway. It was fairly desolate immediately after the pandemic. So, we had a real challenge to build back the system as well as stop it from literally the train going off the financial cliff here. But we built a strong foundation, and we made over $150 million investments to deploy more law enforcement to areas of the transit system where they're needed most. I'm proud to do that. It's unprecedented for the state to do it for the city, but we're going to keep it going because we're seeing it pay off. We also installed 33,000 cameras, one in every subway car. Remember, we first talked about this, Janno? I was told there's a number of years it has to go first. I said, “No, we're gonna do it sooner than that,” and you got it done. So, thank you. Got it done in one year. 33,000 cars all have cameras. So, we are watching.
We know what is going on in our subways at every moment, as we just toured the incredible nerve center of the MTA, where people are watching what is occurring as well. Platform barriers — a lot of anxiety about pushing on the tracks. So, we're going to continue this effort, but nearly 150 stations have platform barriers, so someone who's feeling anxious or concerned about an individual can literally stand behind them and feel safer. And every single station with bright LED lighting, it’s the first thing I said when I went down; I said, “Let's brighten this up. Let's have better lights. Let's paint the walls.” Maybe paint the walls orange and blue. Maybe that's a good idea next. Would cover the Mets too, wouldn't it? Sorry, Yankees fans, I had to say that.
But it was a result of seeing incredible changes, not just in the psychology as a rider, as I'm riding, and people like me — maybe it is the Knicks effect — but people are excited and happy and feeling more relaxed and not as stressed out in general. And subway crime is down to a 16-year low. Sixteen years. I mean, that's unbelievable, where people now don't have to have this as their number one concern when they leave their homes and head out to the subway. And also, just in the last year, and I thank the mayor and Commissioner Tisch and his entire team for a subway crime that's down six percent, for what they do as well since last May.
So that's — when you have a dramatic drop, you don't expect to see a drop anytime soon again, because how long can you keep a trend going? Well, it dropped another six percent since last year, so extraordinary results, but we never say “mission accomplished” ever. We know we always have more work to do.
But now, the World Cup. We know a surge of fans will be using mass transit to get to and from the stadium or to their favorite soccer bar to the Fan Fest events that we announced we’re doing — you're doing in every single borough, [and] we're doing around the state as well. And this all requires additional resources. You know, the personnel, the technology. What is going to be required is we're going to go into more details, but not just from the MTA, but from law enforcement as well. But I want to say this: We can handle this. We've got this. This is what we do best.
And for those who are saying, you know, “Stay home from work,” no. Come to the city, celebrate. Otherwise, you're missing the excitement and the energy. So, we've been planning for this for years, table-topping this exercise as we're ramping our police presence, more transit police, NYPD, State Police [and] our National Guard Joint Task Force Empire Shield to be fully activated, patrolling our major transit hubs and other special World Cup events. And again, we're used to this. We have the New York City Marathon, and we're always looking forward to UN Week, right? Favorite week of the year. To Climate Week, you know, there’s also Clinton Global Initiative, and all kinds of activities, and the US Open and a lot of things we handle, and sold out concerts and sporting events at Madison Square Garden, including outside the Garden, where people are excited, gathering in the streets to watch the Knicks as they will be up until the fourth game and then they'll be done. I didn't say that. I did not jinx anything, okay? Okay, just want to get it clear. So, bottom line is we're used to this intensity, we're used to this traffic. Our police are the best, our MTA team is the best. We know how to handle this. So, I wanna reassure New Yorkers that this is not something that's going to catch us by surprise. This has been something that we have table-topped for a long time.
And again, we just had one of the largest training exercises in the entire state at Moynihan Station to prepare for this. And all this relies on collaboration, breaking down agency silos that have existed in the past, not for this, and we work as a team with the city and share intelligence. We're also gonna be deploying drones to safeguard critical locations across the transit system, including our bridges and tunnels, critically important, but also just managing the flow of people.
Now, as I mentioned, some states might be saying, “Stay home, it's gonna be a hassle." That's your choice. But for those who want to be part of the financial, cultural, sports, entertainment capital of the world during this time when the world is watching us: We're ready for it, and that's the main object of explaining what we're doing here today. So, I know Janno’s going to talk about [how] we're running more subway trains into Penn Station on game days. We'll have more 7 trains into Queens, so people have no trouble getting to our free Fan Fest, especially on World Cup match days that coincide with Mets home games. This is exciting. We're also suspending all construction work on match days. Yay, good idea, right? Yes, it's a brilliant idea. I don't think I came up with that, but it's good one, whoever did.
And to prevent unnecessary backups, Janno is going to go into more detail. But I just want to say this: No city is better prepared than New York. No city knows how to handle crowds, extra riders, intercept criminals [and] online threats. And no city is better prepared to keep its trains and buses running on time. And each match day, roughly 100,000 people will take our trains and buses out to World Cup events. But 100,000 is nice. We handle 6 million riders a day. So, this is something that is absolutely within our control because we know how to deal with the volume and the anticipated guests. We want to make sure they have an extraordinary experience coming to New York. So, we have the premier athletes on the field, the premier law enforcement teams, right where they need to be, all of them protecting us.
And so, I'm fired up. I'm excited about this. I'm a huge sports fan, whatever it is. If there's a ball involved, I love it. And so, we are excited New Yorkers. And I just want to say, I feel so proud to be standing with this team behind me that knows how to handle this. And people are going to walk away from this experience and say, yes, New York got it right. New York is the World Cup. Let me introduce our next speaker, our mayor, who's been joined at the hip with our teams to make sure that this is also wildly successful as a lifelong, die-hard soccer fan.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Thank you very much, governor. Good morning, everyone. Let's go, Knicks! What an incredible game last night. I appreciate everyone still being here this morning. So, I want to say thank you to the MTA and MTA Chair Janno Lieber for hosting us today. Thank you for being here alongside so many partners in government, including Governor Kathy Hochul, who I'm proud to work with as we ensure that this event proceeds not only safely, but seamlessly. And as the governor said, we have a number of leaders from our city government that I just want to take a moment to acknowledge. We have our DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. We have NYCEM Commissioner Christina Farrell, our Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson, our Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga, our DSNY Commissioner Greg Anderson [and] our FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. We have citywide event coordination and management representative Dawn Tolson here, as well as a number of state partners. I say all of these names because, as the governor has said, this is truly a collaborative effort across not just agencies but also every level of government.
Now, one week from today, the World Cup will kick off in Mexico City. Two days after that, the whistle will blow at New York-New Jersey Stadium as Brazil and Morocco play the first of eight games just across the Hudson. Over the month that follows, there will be drama, there will be last-minute goals. Belgium will inevitably be called a dark horse. Some teams will seek to adopt the defensive tactics of the special one, José Mourinho. To put it bluntly, many a nation will park the bus. I'm not here to slander those who park the bus; it is a legitimate strategic approach on the field. But I am here today surrounded by city, state and leaders at every single level to make one thing clear to everyone who is watching: New York City will not be parking the bus.
The World Cup will be an enormously exciting moment for our city. But over this month to come, excellence will not only be pursued on the pitch; excellence will be pursued in the work that government will do and has done to ensure that our infrastructure, transportation networks and emergency preparedness plans are fully operational. For the past month, countless agencies, city leaders and city workers have been meeting, planning and preparing for the World Cup. We are ready for this moment, because we are New York. We know, as the governor said, how to put on big events, from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the NBA Finals — let's go Knicks — to the UN General Assembly. We have done it before, and we will do it again. As we look forward to a summer of activity and celebration, I want to share with New Yorkers what to expect and to ask New Yorkers to take a few straightforward steps to help keep our city moving.
First and foremost, New York should plan for increased congestion and traffic delays, especially in Manhattan, where there will be some altered street and bus routes in Midtown specifically. On match days, there will be dedicated bus and shuttle lanes, two on both 5th and 6th Avenue from 42nd Street to 59th Street. 42nd Street from 1st Avenue to 12th Avenue as well as West 40th Street between 8th and 11th Avenues and West 41st Street between 8th to 10th Avenues, will be bus and shuttle blocks.
Access on these blocks and lanes will be limited to New York-New Jersey Stadium shuttle buses [and] MTA buses, as well as official World Cup vehicles and emergency vehicles. I told you that we wouldn't be parking the bus, but I do want to encourage New Yorkers traveling into Midtown to park their cars at home, take a bike, ride the subway or walk. Public transit will be running and able to get you where you need to go.
For New Yorkers lining up to take New Jersey Transit, we will close 33rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenue as well as 32nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues on match days. These blocks will be closed to traffic, and they will be closed at least six hours before each match. Once again, if you can avoid driving into Midtown Manhattan on a match day, I'm encouraging you to do so. There will also be restrictions placed on truck deliveries on match days. From six hours before matches kick off until three hours after each match concludes, truck deliveries will be restricted between 30th and 60th Streets. Smaller vehicles will be exempt, as will Jalen Brunson.
As with any event of this scale, New York City is scaling up our coordination structure and expanding our emergency response. We will have an emergency operations center, and we are working with partners to ensure an integrated security effort. We are prepared for everything, from high heat to flash floods to increased traffic. I also want to encourage New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC's new summer emergency alert program, which will share real-time notifications in English, French and Spanish, including about traffic disruptions. If New Yorkers would like to do so, they should text SUMMER26 to 692-692. Again, that's SUMMER26 to 692-692.
Throughout the World Cup, I will be sure to provide New Yorkers with constant communication. Before every match, we will share updates with New Yorkers on the news, on social media and wherever else they get their information. I will close with this. Mario Balotelli, one of the greatest strikers in recent memory, once said about his muted goal celebrations, “When I score, I don't celebrate because I'm only doing my job. When a postman delivers letters, does he celebrate?” When New York City puts on a World Cup that is organized, that is safe, that runs smoothly and easily, will we celebrate? No, because we are only doing our job. New York City has the people, the preparedness and the excellence to achieve a truly great World Cup, and working together, we will. Thank you. Now, please welcome MTA Chair Janno Lieber.
Janno Lieber, CEO and Chair, MTA: Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Governor Hochul. There's an emerging theme that you've heard from the governor and the mayor, which is mass transit is what makes it possible for us to have these huge events without changing New York, without telling people to stay home. And the other theme is this is not our first rodeo. We at the MTA are accustomed, as the governor said at some length, to hosting these kinds of events. Especially every year, the US Open [welcomes] over a million people. So, moving millions is what we do, four and a half million every weekday on the subway these days, seven million including all of our different MTA operations. And keeping riders safe while we're delivering them to their destination is always the number one priority.
Now Chief Michael Kemper has led the security planning on the MTA side for the World Cup, working closely with partners at the state, local and federal levels. And we, as the governor said, participated in extensive training exercises for quite some time. This is not something that we just started getting into in the last few weeks; this has been going on for quite some time. And we are especially grateful, again, to the MTAPD and also to the NYPD, who are going to be ramping up patrols in the subway system and throughout Midtown. There are going to be plenty of eyes and ears on the ground supplemented by that network of cameras, literally tens of thousands of cameras that the governor mentioned, which are going to be monitored in real time. Before I turn it over to Commissioner Flynn, I want to touch on a few service adjustments that riders need to know about.
The good news is, as was mentioned, on match days we will have additional subway service on some key lines. We're going to run extra C trains. We're going to run extra number 1 trains. Those are the trains that go directly to Penn Station. We're going to be running extra number 7 trains for people to get in and out of those great fan fests that are — some of them are in Queens, but we'll be running service. And as we were touring the Rail Control Center, we pointed out to the mayor and the governor exactly where we lay up trains in the system so that when we have a major event, we can pump additional trains in as they are needed as crowds emerge and arrive in stations.
But on match days, there will be some changes to both bus and Access-A-Ride services in Midtown to accommodate the ground transportation plan that the City has laid out, which focuses on making sure that vehicles can get to the Lincoln Tunnel as they're heading to New York-New Jersey Stadium.
And depending on the day of the week and the kickoff times, there may be detours or stops skipped on some of those buses inside Midtown between 34th Street and 59th Street, which is the key area the City's identified. And those changes may take place for buses in the full width of the island from the FDR Drive over to West Street. It can be confusing, so we're going to have a ton of customer ambassadors on hand to assist riders at key locations throughout the tournament. The biggest need is going to be the FIFA queue area at 34th Street Penn Station and 34th Street Harold Square, the two large subway complexes. But we're also going to have people at the shuttle bus connection points at 42nd Street Port Authority, the Grand Central Terminal area, 59th Street, the Columbus Circle complex, and also at Times Square. Folks traveling to the games from Long Island — The matches are taking place to the west, but folks will be coming from Long Island. They can always transfer to New Jersey Transit at Penn. The MTA's portion of the station — this is important — the MTA’s portion of the station will not be closed. It's going to be regular service for Long Island Railroad and subway customers into Penn, even on match days. But because there will be crowds on matchdays, we are urging regular commuters to consider using Grand Central Madison if you're a Long Island Railroad commuter, or even Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. It may be a faster and smoother commute for you on those match days. The TrainTime app and the MTA app, which are widely used by our customers, are going to have all the latest service information.
Like I said, I'm confident that the MTA team is up to the task. New York always has a buzz. There is a greater buzz. It's the Knicks, but it's also this amazing World Cup excitement. We're all feeling it, and we're ready to go. So with that, let me turn it over to DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn.
Commissioner Mike Flynn, Department of Transportation: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, it's a pleasure to be here as New York City prepares to help host one of the biggest sporting events in the world. New York City DOT's message to New Yorkers on local match days is simple: Find a watch party near you, have fun, and most importantly, take transit if you're traveling to Manhattan, as you've heard. And I can't stress that enough, the World Cup will be an extraordinary moment for the city, but it will also have major impacts on traffic. Whether you're going to a match, heading to work, or just going about your day, please walk, bike or take transit. With so many visitors expected, the Mamdani administration has a plan to move fans efficiently, keep streets functioning and minimize disruptions for New Yorkers.
The city's traffic plan that the mayor detailed keeps the most intensive match-day transportation activity focused in a defined part of Midtown, reducing impacts across the city and easing pressure on the transit networks New Yorker's rely on every day. New York City DOT will support these mitigations with over 100 staff involved out there to help execute it. We currently have staff going door-to-door in Midtown discussing our delivery restrictions with businesses in the area to make sure everybody's aware. Each of the eight local match days will be gridlock alert days, and we'll have public service announcements and messaging on our roads and highways discouraging vehicle traffic into Manhattan. We'll also have staff in our Traffic Management Center monitoring Midtown conditions and adjusting traffic signals in real time to help keep people moving.
And while these plans are focused on the World Cup, New York City DOT is using this special moment to deliver permanent upgrades that New Yorkers will benefit from long after the final whistle. These include street upgrades that help keep everyone safe, like expanded sidewalks and bike lanes across Manhattan, and improved access to the Brooklyn Bridge. It also includes, in Queens, where we're adding a new bus lane to improve bus service from LaGuardia Airport. Thank you to all of our partners who've helped make these plans a reality. The city's ready for this moment, and DOT is ready to do our part to help keep New York City moving. Take transit, enjoy the World Cup, and let the games begin.
Next, I'd like to invite up New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell.
Commissioner Christina Farrell, New York City Emergency Management Department: Good morning. As you've heard from the Governor, the Mayor and our partners, this is a huge scale of what we're preparing to host. We will have tens of thousands of fans for the World Cup. In addition, in just about a month, we'll welcome 84 ships, 20,000 sailors from 44 countries for the International Naval Review. We'll also see more than 100 aircraft take to our skies for the International Aerial Review. Of course, this on top of all the traditions we already look forward to each year: fireworks, concerts, parades, pool days and beach visits that make the summer in New York unlike anywhere else.
Of course, a summer this busy requires a lot of preparation. Our job at emergency management is to make sure all of the excitement for summer events is matched with safety, readiness and clear communication. Over the past year, we've been planning for this moment with our city, state and federal partners. We have developed detailed plans for every major event, and we have participated in more than 30 interagency tabletop exercises that simulated everything from blackouts and sudden crowd surges to flash flooding and coastal storms. The City's Emergency Operations Center is activated so that we can work with dozens of partners across the city and the region to monitor conditions in real time and respond quickly when issues arise.
As we prepare for this exciting stretch ahead, it's also a good moment for New Yorkers to get ready for the season right along with us. While the celebrations this year are big, we all face a common risk that affects every New Yorker every year. Extreme heat kills more people in the city than any other weather-related hazard, and it's especially dangerous for older adults, people with chronic illnesses and those living alone. So, this summer, we're expanding our network of cool options and working closely with community partners to make sure life-saving information reaches the people who need it most. For all New Yorkers, know your cool options. An official cooling center — such as a library, an older adult center, or even a museum — can help cool you off. And New York City parks across the city have places to hydrate, refresh and stay in the shade. Visit nyc.gov/beattheheat or call 311 to find cool options near you.
This is also the time to get your household ready for summer's other risks: coastal storms, power outages and flash flooding. Every New Yorker should have a go bag, a pre-packed bag of essentials that you can grab quickly if you ever need to leave your home in an emergency. Pack water, a flashlight, phone chargers, copies of important documents, small bills and medications. If an emergency happens, you can go grab your bag and go.
Being prepared also means staying informed. Through Notify NYC, the City delivers real-time emergency alerts and updates on important services so that New Yorkers can navigate road closures and transit disruptions, prepare for severe weather or find cool options during a heat advisory. As always, you can text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 to receive Notify NYC updates and alerts. As the mayor mentioned, this summer we're making it even easier for New Yorkers and visitors to stay in the know through this season's major events with a one-stop shop for summer updates. Text SUMMER26 to 692-692 to get alerts on World Cup events and summer-specific updates. They are also available in Spanish and French. You can also follow the Notify NYC World Cup Alerts WhatsApp channel for multilingual updates right on your phone. As we head into an unforgettable season, take a moment to prepare, stay informed, and look out for one another so we can all enjoy an incredible summer in our city. Thank you.
Question: Governor, what I've noticed is that there is special preparing to prevent a terrorist attack, prevent a cyberattack, to protect critical infrastructure, and you're using drones. I guess the question is, how worried are you that we could be a terror target? And could you talk about the specific things you're doing to prevent that from happening?
Governor Hochul: I think New Yorkers are always in a permanent state of concern, but it is never debilitating, because we have been through so much together, and I have enormous confidence in our Joint Terrorism Task Force. We work with federal, state and local partners to monitor online threats incessantly. This is an area that's not just during these major events, but all the time. But also coordinating with, you know, having state police reinforce to different locations and our Operation Empire Shield to protect our transit hubs by bringing in more National Guard. So, you'll see more of a police presence, but also know that behind the scenes that our cyber analysts and experts are focused on this with every fiber in their being. They know this is a vulnerable time, but also a time where we do not want to have people to have to change their behaviors. Always be alert and see something, say something was important decades ago; it is still just as important that we're counting on the public to also let us know about suspicious activity. And the NYPD is the best in the world, and we're there to support during this time. Anything else to say on it, Justin? Is there anything else you want to say?
Question: Governor, I've noticed that the extra subway services take people to Penn Station. A lot of the plan is to get people to the New Jersey Transit trains going to the games. But two out of the last three weeks, Penn Station was a meltdown after fires and other infrastructure issues. What is your contingency plan to get these people to these games if there's another event at Penn Station?
Governor Hochul: And we've already launched buses, a bus system that we can also enhance. We remember the first price was $80. We knocked it down to $20 so people could travel on buses with a great affordability, as well as adding additional buses. But in terms of the actual trains, Janno, do you want to answer how—
Lieber: I’ll just say that at the governor's urging, we've added the push on Amtrak to make sure that they take precautions, that they don't engage in any work that could have that type of result again, Andrew. And we are very much looking at the numbers of shuttle buses that have developed that are also going through the Lincoln Tunnel and directly to the stadium. Those have a lot of capacity as well as the New Jersey Transit trains, but the key is obviously that Amtrak doesn't engage in any work that increases that risk, and they've given us that assurance at the governor's request.
Question: Penn Station holds up throughout of all eight match days at full capacity?
Mayor Mamdani: If I could also just invite Dawn from our team to just add something.
Dawn Tolson, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management: There is a contingency plan should rail go down. That is part of the closure on 33rd Street that we mentioned between 6th and 7th, as well as 31st Street, where we'll be having buses in advance. We've been coordinating very closely with New Jersey Transit to ensure that we are ready and prepared should rail go down to move those individuals that are in Penn Station out and onto these buses and onto the game. We're working very closely the NYPD who is helping with the traffic standpoint to ensure that those buses are moving smoothly along those dedicated routes that we mentioned, as well as ensuring that we're popping up additional routes to make sure that buses can backfill and get folks from New York City to the game as expeditiously as possible.
Question: Obviously, we're hoping for a sweep, but there is a potential for Game 6 to fall on match day, a World Cup match day. So, I'm curious, what are the plans for the increase of fans that day?
Governor Hochul: Well, I think we already laid out our expectations, and also reminding people that our rail system handles over 7 million people a day. And so, adding another 100,000 or so is actually probably getting us back to more of our pre-pandemic numbers. Right, Janno? We have the capacity to handle this. And this is part of the exercises that have been going on. I don't think a year ago, when we started doing these exercises, we anticipated the Knicks to be where they are, but here they are. This is exciting. And so, I think it's just — all we'd be asking for. We know how to do our jobs. We know exactly everybody has a role to play to make sure this is successful. We also ask for the public to be patient. You will see more traffic and maybe some more delays and some frustration, but try to turn that into a sense of celebration that — “Where else would you rather be than right here right now” is [what] one of my favorite coaches used to say. Because this is extraordinary, we are venturing into something that we've never done before. This is the largest sporting event in history. We'll be here. We have the excitement around the Knicks, probably done by the sixth game. But if your hypothesis is correct, that there's a sixth game — this is what we live for. This is what New York does best. We ask for people to say, “This is fun. It's exciting.” Sorry for the inconvenience, but you're part of making history.
[Crosstalk.]
Mayor Mamdani: I was just going to add one thing to that specifically, to echo the governor's words about the full preparedness that we have at every level of government for any potential set of overlaps, including that of the Knicks and World Cup matches. The first World Cup match on the 13th would coincide with a potential Game 5. And that is an away game, that is also a concert at Madison Square Garden that evening. The city is working with partners to ensure that match goers, concert goers [and] Knicks fans can all move safely and securely around to celebrate that event. Now, you're also asking about a potential Game 6. This is a home game. This would take place after the 3 p.m. kickoff of the World Cup match. Luckily, that means that there's some time between Penn Station closures ending and tip off of that potential game. As always, as the governor said, this is a moment that we've been preparing for, we've hoping for, and we feel fully prepared for. Thank you.
Question: Earlier this week, the NYPD chief of department was testifying at a Council hearing and was mentioning screening for passengers that were going to be heading into Penn Station for the World Cup. How is that happening? Is that metal detectors? What's happening with that?
Mayor Mamdani: I'm just going to pass it over to Dawn from our administration to share additional details.
Tolson: Thanks again. Yes, they are going to be screening not only there, but also at the bus location — shuttle bus pickup locations at Columbus Circle, at Grand Central, Port Authority. And so, they are working with those organizations and entities, working directly with counterterrorism and the NYPD to make sure that whatever screening is required from a counterterrorist standpoint is being enforced in those locations.
Question: [inaudible] physical metal detectors that are going to be set up, how does that work?
Tolson: I don't know the exact system that they're going to be using. I do know that it was more than likely going to magnetometers, that type of screening. It's going to be more detailed than just a bag check.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Your charge of commission is meeting for the first time today. But two days ago, Adams' commission met. Do they still have legal standing, and are you planning on taking any legal action against that commission?
Mayor Mamdani: First, I would just say that the offer that we've made to Wemby still stands for the Charter Commission meeting. We'd love to hear his thoughts and engagement on that. Second, we are fully confident that the actions we've already taken have rendered any pre-existing commission's legal standing to be one that cannot continue. When it comes to tonight and our Commission on Government Efficiency or COGE, they will be meeting for the first time as we take on the tall order of looking through how our city government functions and how we can find efficiencies within that functioning. Next week, we will be holding three public hearings where New Yorkers can deliver their testimony, and the focuses that we're looking at are: streamlining government for infrastructure projects and public realm improvements; streamlining government for small businesses and community organizations; and modernizing government and utilizing government technology.
Question: Last night, two candidates in the race for New York's 7th Congressional District said that, unlike you, they wouldn't meet with President Trump, and one candidate said neither you nor Trump are kings of the city. What is your response?
Mayor Mamdani: I'll leave it to the borough president to explain why he would prefer a New Yorker continue to be unjustly detained by ICE than I meet with the president in the Oval Office to secure their release.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Would the planets in alignment scenario of a World Cup match on a Game 6 day with the New York Knicks present perhaps the biggest challenge in this entire scenario. Is that really, again, the greatest, you know, confluence of the situation?
Mayor Mamdani: I think we live for this moment. If you would have told a New Yorker a year ago — 10 years ago, 20 years ago — that we could be hosting the World Cup right here as we also see the Knicks have the first chance to win a championship since our last chance in 1999 against the same team and to run it back with a very different result — this is the opportunity that we're all here for. And we're incredibly excited for it. And I think to your question: I want to make very clear that we are hoping for a sweep and we're preparing for anything, because that's our job as New York City government, to ensure that any eventuality is one that we are ready for. I think it is to our benefit that there are different times of kickoff and tip-off, that a lot of the time-specific responses that we're making, they then shift over the course of the day. I don't know if there's anything anyone else would like to add to that end.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I think it's the biggest opportunity. Truly, I do, because the chance to win the championship here in New York City — look, when it comes to the logistics of it, I feel that we're fully prepared. I think we're showing ourselves capable of ensuring that this is a summer where New Yorkers can celebrate and where safety is never in question.
Question: My question, though, is President Donald Trump is going to be in town next week for the next game. Are you planning to meet with him when he's in town at any point?
Mayor Mamdani: I can tell you that I'm planning to go to a Knicks game. I will be at game three. I will be in a very different section of the stadium. And I think we look forward to welcoming any New Yorker who is excited for the Knicks to have that chance to win that championship.
Question: I want to ask about QueensLink. I spent some time with advocates who wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that building this park, or at least the first part of it — the $43 million investment — will not allow for future railroad opportunities. They're actually very upset. How do you see both happening in the future if you proceed with the QueensWay plan of the park?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I think that I share the passion of the advocates in increasing public transit access across our city. And for too long, we've seen that that access is dependent upon which borough you live in or what ZIP code you call home. And when it comes to QueensLink and QueensWay, the investment in creating a park over the next few years is one that we are very clear will not preclude the potential of any rail investment in the future. When it comes to rail investment, it requires the partnership of the MTA as that being a priority area of investment in that specific stretch. When the MTA has done its own assessments and analyses, what they have found is that there are other areas of priority for them. We hope that that door continues to remain open, but in the interim, we believe that it is better to build a park than simply wait for that calculus to change. And when we think about the cost of building that park, it is de minimis compared to what the cost will be of extending public transit in their area.
Question: Explain how it won't preclude future rail potential rail opportunities? Like how exactly?
Mayor Mamdani: I think a few ways. First is that we are going to be very explicit both in the language that we put forward as well as in our commitment to other partners. The second is that we know that the cost of rail expansion is one that is quite significant here in our city. and the amount of investment that we're going to put towards this park over these next few years, it is not one that would then stop us from considering what would be a much larger scale transformation of the same area.
Question: Mr. Mayor, there are reports that a party for the Puerto Rican Day Parade at Gracie Mansion was canceled. I wonder where that stands now and how you plan to celebrate the Puerto Rico Day parades.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you. So those reports are inaccurate. We are hosting a reception at Gracie Mansion. I'm incredibly excited about that. It's an opportunity for us to celebrate Puerto Rican New Yorkers across the city who have been such a key part of writing the story of this city. And it's also part of a weekend where so many New Yorkers, including myself, look forward to the parade as a moment of joy, a momentous celebration. And we're very excited to be one part of that.
Question: If you could just indulge me. People who are looking forward to getting tickets to the World Cup from New York City are wondering when they're going to hear. Maybe you could help them find out when that's going to happen?
Mayor Mamdani: That's going to be this week.
Question: Is there a specific day, and how do they do it?
Mayor Mamdani: So, they're going to be notified by the city this week. That notification will likely come in the form of an email, but we're just ironing that out right now. And we're incredibly excited about this, because as you know, it will mean 500 New Yorkers getting the chance to buy a ticket for themselves and one person of their choosing — they choose it, for anyone who gets mad about who they choose, it's them — and also having a free round-trip bus ticket. And I just want to mention that alongside that, we've been incredibly excited to work with partners in New Jersey, with the New York-New Jersey Host Committee, to also be able to provide affordable tickets to friendlies. And we found that we've been able to secure these $25 tickets for Norway, Morocco, for Scotland, Bolivia. We've sold out of thousands of tickets just within hours of putting them on sale, which I think shows the point that others have referred to, which is that there is such excitement in this city, and we can't wait to be a part of it.
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