Scotland & England fans in Boston face World Cup train fare hike

Scotland and England fans face paying more than four times the usual prices for train tickets when they travel to World Cup group-stage matches in Boston.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced round-trip tickets from central Boston (South Station) to Boston Stadium at Foxborough for $80 (£60).

Usually, a single ticket costs $8.75 (£6.50) while it is $17.50 (£13) for a round trip using two singles.

Scotland will play two group stage matches at the venue - against Haiti on 14 June and Morocco five days later - while England face Ghana there on 23 June.

Paul Goodwin, co-founder of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, called the price increase "totally out of order".

"There will be a lot of second mortgages and costs being put on credit cards," he said.

"It's another huge disappointment. It's another reminder that the further up the tree that you go, the game is getting further and further away from its origins and the people who will turn up on a wet Tuesday night in Forfar."

The transport prices follow criticism over ticket costs for the tournament.

Last week's first open sale of tickets showed Fifa charging up to $10,990 (£8,333) to be at the final while England and Scotland fans already face paying vastly inflated prices through Fifa's official resale platform.

The stadium in Foxborough is the home of the New England Patriots NFL team and is located 22 miles - just over one hour's train ride - outside the centre of the city.

The Boston Stadium - usually known as Gillette Stadium but whose name has to change for the tournament because of Fifa sponsorship reasons - is set to host seven World Cup matches including a quarter-final.

Rail tickets, which are limited in number and non-refundable, go on sale on Wednesday at 16:00 BST. Children under 11 usually travel for free on MBTA trains but will have to pay for a ticket to Boston Stadium.

But ticketed fans who may think driving is a better option, may decide against that with one parking space at Boston Stadium starting at $175 (£132).