jane

Someone told me the oddest thing. I am going there soon with a companion and they told me not to take the Red line subway as there are a lot of muggings..is this true..all the other subway lines are fine..please clarify..don't want to be paranoid about this.

Jill

Total BS. I've lived here for 10 years, take the red line home at night alone. no problems.

xx

Agree with Jill. I live near a red line stop and take it quite often. No problems.

gail

Agree with both of above. Obviously, you take normal precautions you would in any large city - be aware of your surroundings, avoid very dark, deserted areas alone late at night - but to single out the Red Line is bogus.

Melanie

I've been here 14 years. Muggings on the T are not very commonplace. You certainly don't want to head to the farthest south stops, Ashmont & Mattapan (sketchy areas), but you won't get mugged.

Tee

No problems with the Red Line. I feel safe taking it to work and at night.

Jen

Don't believe what Melanie says about Ashmont and Mattapan, we live on the trolley line that goes from Ashmont (the last stop on the Red Line) to Mattapan and it's perfectly safe. What I wouldn't do is go wandering around the Ashmont AREA around the train station, after dark.

sandy

The subway in Boston, all lines- Blue, Red, Green & Orange are very safe!

Jim

From a male visitor's point of view, I have been working here in Boston for several years during the week, and have enjoyed walking around downtown on weekday envenings often alone, and found all of streets, subways, and T's completely safe. There is no place in downtown Boston that anyone would want to visit that you would not feel completely confortable with traveling to even alone at night. Sure, there are less secure outlying burbs, but you would never find any reason to go there.

Melissa

Hi Jane-
The T is safe, and as someone mentioned, muggings are very uncommon.
However just a little aside- there have been a string of sexual assaults to women recently in the North End. I am not saying to be paranoid there- because no trip to Boston would be complete without going there- but you should be careful and aware, wherever you go.
Safe travels to you.

rina

Having grown up in Boston, I can tell you that the Red Line is perfectly safe.

It's up to you to behave like a savvy, confident traveller, as you would when visiting any new city. Be aware of your surroundings, don't wave your money around, don't wander up dark alleys outside the stations, beware of pickpockets in crowded areas and cars.

Boss Tonn

The subway is very safe as all have said...there was a series of two or three attacks on women on the red line a few months ago...it might have been even last year. But overall it is very safe. Especially since you're going with someone...Almost nobody has any problems, especially if they're not alone. yOu'll be fine.

Jen

I think Boss Town might be recalling some incidents that took place in the Ashmont Station area of Dorchester, attacks on women walking home alone at night; that area is one of the, um, less lovely parts of the city.

But the station itself, being at the end of the Red Line and a terminus for a dozen or more bus lines, is the base for lots of activity and a constant presence of MBTA police and other staff. It's all laid out on one level, not even any stairways; everything is very out-in-the-open and visible to all, not a tempting crime site!

Boss Tonn

Yes Jenn, thanks..that's exactly what I was referring to.

Also re the MBTA police..they also patrol the stations and ride the trains undercover, so the guy standing next to you on the train might actually be a T-cop.

tom

i was on the red line saturday morning
and a lady got her purse snatched from
her. This was at the umass/jfk stop going into boston. This can happen anywhere. Everyone has to use common sense and keep you belongings close to you. Dont leave them on the seat unattended. The fellow that did this looked like a clean shaven college student.