You can get to an NFL game without renting a car or buying a parking pass. Seattle, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore have rail options close to their stadiums. MetLife and Gillette also have trains, but their game-day service needs more planning.
The useful question is what happens after the final whistle. A station near the stadium is a good start. You also need a route back to your hotel, enough time to make any connection, and the right ticket for the service you're taking.
These eight venues give you several ways to build that trip. Pick a stadium, then check the journey from the address where you'll actually be staying.
The route at a glance
| Stadium | Rail option | The detail to plan around |
|---|---|---|
| Lumen Field, Seahawks | Link light rail to International District/Chinatown or Stadium; Sounder to King Street Station for selected games | Link and Sounder have different schedules. Check whether your game has Sounder service. |
| U.S. Bank Stadium, Vikings | METRO Blue or Green Line to U.S. Bank Stadium Station | Both lines serve the stadium, so check the destination before boarding your return train. |
| Lincoln Financial Field, Eagles | SEPTA Broad Street Line to NRG Station | The subway reaches the sports complex; Regional Rail connections have separate timetables. |
| Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Falcons | MARTA to SEC District or Vine City | Older directions may call SEC District "GWCC/CNN Center." |
| Acrisure Stadium, Steelers | Pittsburgh's light rail, the T, to Allegheny | The downtown-to-North-Shore ride is inside the free fare zone; trips beyond it cost extra. |
| M&T Bank Stadium, Ravens | Light RailLink to Hamburg Street | Check MTA service alerts and the timetable for your direction of travel. |
| MetLife Stadium, Giants and Jets | NJ TRANSIT Meadowlands service from Secaucus Junction | The stadium branch runs for qualifying events, with a separate game-day schedule. |
| Gillette Stadium, Patriots | Special-event Commuter Rail to Foxboro | Reserve the event train and plan around its departure after the game. |
Routes and official guidance checked September 29, 2026. The links in each section below are the places to check service for your game date. This is a selection of workable trips, not a ranking of every NFL stadium.
Seattle: choose between Link and a game-day Sounder train
Lumen Field sits near several useful rail stops. For Link light rail, look at International District/Chinatown or Stadium and compare the walk to your entrance. Sounder commuter trains arrive at King Street Station beside the stadium area. The stadium's transportation guide also identifies Link as an option from Sea-Tac Airport, so you can plan the airport and game-day journeys around rail.
The distinction matters when you're choosing how long to stay. Link has regular service; Sounder adds trips for selected weekend games. A Sounder ride into Seattle doesn't mean you can linger for dinner and catch another train whenever you're ready.
Sound Transit's game-day guide explains the options. Check its event calendar if Sounder is part of your plan, including the return departure. For the walk in, open our Seahawks transportation guide alongside your ticket's gate information.
Minneapolis: a stadium with its own stop
The Blue and Green Lines both serve U.S. Bank Stadium Station. That gives you a straightforward arrival without adding a separate shuttle to the trip. The stadium's directions page identifies the lines and links to transit information.
For a visit from out of town, the Blue Line is particularly useful: Metro Transit's route map shows the stadium, both MSP airport terminals, and Mall of America on the same line. Compare hotels near those stops if you'd like to cover more of the weekend by train.
At the stadium afterward, check the train's destination before boarding. The Blue and Green Lines share this stop, but they won't both take you back to an airport-area hotel.
Philadelphia: ride south to NRG, then walk into the complex
Take the Broad Street Line to NRG Station, the southern end of the line. From there, follow the pedestrian route through the sports complex to Lincoln Financial Field. Leave time for that walk and the security line; arriving at the subway station isn't the same as reaching your seat.
SEPTA publishes Eagles game service notices, including extra service when scheduled. From Center City, this is a useful route to plan a hotel around.
If you're coming in on Regional Rail, check that connection separately for the ride home. A subway train leaving the sports complex doesn't guarantee that a suburban train will still be waiting when you reach Center City. The stadium's transit directions explain the transfers.
Atlanta: watch for the station's newer name
Mercedes-Benz Stadium recommends SEC District Station, which older guides call GWCC/CNN Center. Vine City is another nearby MARTA option. Knowing both names saves a little confusion when one map or saved set of directions hasn't caught up.
The stadium's transportation page identifies SEC District as its preferred stop for arrival and departure, right by the building. Use your hotel address and ticketed gate to choose the approach. Keeping the gate in the plan helps avoid an unnecessary walk around the stadium after you've left the station.
Pittsburgh: the T connects downtown and the North Shore
Allegheny Station puts you on the North Shore beside Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh Regional Transit's free fare zone covers the light rail stations from First Avenue through Allegheny, including the downtown stops in between.
That makes a downtown hotel a useful starting point: you can use the T for the stadium leg without paying a rail fare inside that zone. If your journey starts or finishes outside it, normal fares apply. The free zone doesn't make every ride on the system free.
Use the stadium's parking and traffic map to place Allegheny Station in relation to your gate. Check PRT's service information before leaving, especially if your route continues beyond downtown.
Baltimore: Light RailLink gets you close to the gate
Hamburg Street is the Light RailLink stop for M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens' stadium information places the light rail drop-off directly outside Gate B, which keeps the last part of the journey short.
Use the current MTA timetable for the day and direction you need. Read the service alerts as well, since a replacement bus or a disrupted section would change the plan.
If you're traveling from outside Baltimore, distinguish Light RailLink from MARC when you look up the trip. They are separate services with separate schedules. Plan every connection through to your final stop, especially after an evening game.
MetLife: allow for the connection at Secaucus
For Giants and Jets games, the key connection is Secaucus Junction, where you change to the Meadowlands service for the stadium. Coming from Manhattan, plan the NJ TRANSIT leg from New York Penn Station to Secaucus, then the stadium train.
MetLife's transportation guide puts the Secaucus-to-stadium ride at about 10 minutes. That's the time on that train, before you add getting to Penn, making the connection, waiting to board, and walking to your gate.
The stadium says Meadowlands rail service runs for events expecting more than 50,000 people, with trains before and after the event. Check the exact game's timetable. On the way home, leave room for the queue as well as the connection; a tight dinner reservation or onward train is an avoidable source of stress.
The same rail approach serves both teams. Our Giants and Jets transportation guides cover the stadium context.
Gillette: book the train as part of the game
Foxboro has special-event trains for Patriots games. Treat the train ticket as something to arrange when you plan the outing, because the event service has its own capacity and ticket requirements.
For example, the stadium's 2026 Patriots-Colts event guide specifies a return departure 30 minutes after the game ends. It also says regular Commuter Rail tickets and passes aren't valid on that special-event service. Check your own game's listing for its stations, sales date, and departure instructions.
That return deadline changes the evening. Plan to head toward the station after the game rather than adding a restaurant stop. Use Gillette's transportation page to distinguish event trains from weekday Foxboro service.
Check the return trip before you book the hotel
A workable route to the game needs a workable route home. Before booking, check:
- The complete journey: hotel to station, transfers, station to gate, and the reverse route.
- The last usable connection: leave room for the game to run long and for the crowd leaving the stadium.
- The ticket type: ordinary transit fare, a regional rail ticket, or a reserved special-event ticket.
- Accessibility: step-free entrances, elevator alerts, and the walking route to your gate if stairs or distance are a concern.
- A fallback: decide what you'll do if a service disruption changes the trip.
For the cost comparison, count fares for everyone in your group and any parking you still need at a station. Then compare that total with the stadium parking you'd otherwise buy. Our game-day cost calculator can help you budget the rest of the visit.
If you're traveling with a baby or toddler, check the team's child-ticket policy separately from the transit fare. The train and the stadium set their own rules.