Passenger Trains > Is Metrolink Safe To Ride?

I am going to be in the LA area next week and I was thinking 
about riding Metrolink, particularly between LAUD and San Bernardino 
as well as the new line to Redlands.

In 2018 I rode Metrolink to Lancaster and had no problems. However I've been recently 
hearing accounts of people doing drugs, urinating, fighting, harassing passengers,
etc. on trains. Is this true? I would really like to do some train riding but if it might be unsafe or
unpleasant I'd rather not. I would welcome any comments or travel advice.

Thank you.




 

I think those reports are about the LA subway, not metrolink.   

Also, i believe some of the "articles" quoted on TO are from right wing fear mondering sources.   I certainly wouldnt hesitate to ride the subway in LA. 

OTOH...I had a good friend years ago...very intelligent gentleman, but he had pretty bad attention deficit issues, and was an easy target...not someone who i would recommend travelling in a big city by himself.     So kind of knowing yourself and your limits helps

Personally, id say, when travelling alone, keep your wits about you.    Anyone who wanders around any city like they dont know where they are, with an expensive camera hanging around their neck, is advertising to be a target...imho.




 

I'd love to make your trip.
Hope you enjoy it.
 

The San Bernardino Line during mid day isn't very crowded so you shouldn't have any problems.
Plenty of places to eat in downtown Redlands.

Are you specifically looking to ride Metrolink, or are you looking for a day trip on a train?  If the latter is the case, you may want to consider riding an Amtrak Surfliner to San Barbara.  In 2016, we rode round trip from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara.  The scenery was nice and Santa Barbara is a great destination for a day trip.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/22 06:41 by RuleG.

RDC1 Wrote:
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> In 2018 I rode Metrolink to Lancaster and had no
> problems. However I've been recently 
> hearing accounts of people doing drugs, urinating,
> fighting, harassing passengers,
> etc. on trains. Is this true? I would really like
> to do some train riding but if it might be unsafe or
> unpleasant I'd rather not. I would welcome any
> comments or travel advice.
>
> Thank you.

San Bernardino often ranks high on the "most dangerous city" list in California, rivaling Stockton and Oakland. I took a quick look at CrimeMapping web site, and it seems most of the crimes in San Bernardino occur east of I-215, in the downtown area.

San Bernardino Depot is on the west side of I-215, away from downtown and most of the crimes.

As with railstiesballast, I would do the same trip, given the chance. I have ridden the San Bernardino Line on several occasions, and have detrained/boarded at San Bernardino, but not yet this year (2021-2022) so take my opinion accordingly.

RuleG Wrote:
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> Are you specifically looking to ride Metrolink, or
> are you looking for a day trip on a train?

His post is clear about checking out the San Bernardino Line and the new Redlands extension (and the Stadler DMU).

> If the latter is the case, you may want to consider
> riding an Amtrak Surfliner either to San Diego or
> to San Barbara.

He can detrain at Oceanside and check out the Sprinter (Siemens) DMU to Escondido, which would be a similar trip. The weekend scheduling is tough due to fewer number of trains, but he can buy Metrolink's $10 weekend pass and theoretically do both, as some Metrolink trains do go to Oceanside.

cchan006 Wrote:
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> RuleG Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Are you specifically looking to ride Metrolink,
> or
> > are you looking for a day trip on a train?
>
> His post is clear about checking out the San
> Bernardino Line and the new Redlands extension
> (and the Stadler DMU).
>
Um, you just suggested that going to San Bernardino is not a good idea.

RuleG Wrote:
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> Um, you just suggested that going to San
> Bernardino is not a good idea.

You're oversimplifying. Or just arguing - you have a habit of doing that.

To put it in proper context. I've ridden Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains, detrained/boarded in Oakland and Stockton numerous times. That's the missing information in my post.

Had someone asked advice about those cities, I would have posted a similar advice.

Crime stats are FACTS. That's separate from my opinion based on actually riding TO/FROM San Bernardino before. Why did I bother to explain in detail about the I-215 freeway separating the crime incidents?

The OP can then make up his own mind based on that information, my opinion, and opinions posted by others. Each person should be able to assess his/her own risks, you know.

I rode the Redlands - San Bdno line last Saturday afternoon.  No danger at all - there was no one else aboard but us.

TIOGA PASS

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

Keep in mind, taking the train past San Juan Capistrano is NOT an option right now.

Posted from Android

IE native here - most of the fear mongering around violent crime that happens out here ultimately comes down to (outside of, to be blunt, fear based on classism) what folks said above is super true - like in any city be aware of your surroundings but not to the point of seeing literally everyone as a potential threat. Even with the potential of folks doing drugs, like, even someone is why would they interrupt shooting up to bother you?

The last time I took Metrolink into LA I saw someone carry a shopping bag full of something (I don't really want to know what) hop off the train in Rancho and return with a stack of $20s. If you're just another passenger and keep to yourself or even engage in polite conversation with folks 99.9% of the time nobody is going to care or see you as a threat.

-Kacey

Posted from Android

As stated above, I believe maybe the articles were about the LA Metro Subway and light rail system which has many issues with what you originally posted about. Metrolink is very safe and the trains are clean and reliable. I would echo some of the other replies and suggest a day trip to Santa Barbara, too on the Surfliner.

cchan006 Wrote:
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> As with railstiesballast, I would do the same
> trip, given the chance. I have ridden the San
> Bernardino Line on several occasions, and have
> detrained/boarded at San Bernardino, but not yet
> this year (2021-2022) so take my opinion
> accordingly.

Last year I rode all the Metrolink lines for a gig. I saw nothing amiss at San Bernardino. I walked a few blocks to some osrt of Chinese fast food for lunch (the most danger I experienced there) and spent lots of quality time at the museum in the station building looking at "old stuff in a museum" that I used regularly. For me, thie highlight of that was the dispatchers office and station telegraph office.

The most dangerous thing I saw in a week of riding was a Metrolink crew that headed into the siding at Chatsworth, left the rear end in the island cirsuit of the pedestrian crossing (leaving the crossing signals running continuously), went off duty, and left the train that way. The passengers appeared to be accustomed to the situation because they crossed back and forth without hesitation,including right in front of a UP train.

TAW

The area around the Santa Fe Depot in San Bernardino is actually not too bad for San Bernardino. I've used that station many times in the past when I visited family friends in Redlands. The Downtown San Bernardino Station is probably in a so so neighborhood. I would still be careful around both stations. I have to ride the brand new Arrow service and may get that chance in the next few years when I visit my family friends in Redlands. That way, they wouldn't have to drive to San Bernardino to pick me up. Once you leave the two immediate blocks of the two San Bernardino Stations, the neighborhoods could turn very rough fast. Redlands, on the other hand, is a great town with nice shops and restaurants. The right of way serves Downtown Redlands. There is a weekday pair of actual Metrolink trains that run from LA Union Station to Downtown Redlands but they only run during the pm rush hour on weekdays. The eastbound departs LA during the height of the rush hour while the westbound departs Downtown Redlands very early.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RuleG Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Um, you just suggested that going to San
> > Bernardino is not a good idea.
>
> You're oversimplifying. Or just arguing - you have
> a habit of doing that.

Pot calling the kettle black.
>
> To put it in proper context. I've ridden Capitol
> Corridor and San Joaquin trains, detrained/boarded
> in Oakland and Stockton numerous times. That's the
> missing information in my post.

I did not comment on the Capitol Corridor or San Joaquin trains, nor did I say anything about Oakland and Stockton.  This has no relevance to my responses to the original poster and you.

>
> Crime stats are FACTS.

You didn't post any statistics.  That said, posting of crime statistics without providing context greatly skews what is being depicted.

 

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did not comment on the Capitol Corridor or San
> Joaquin trains, nor did I say anything
> about Oakland and Stockton.  This has no
> relevance to my responses to the original poster
> and you.

Of course not. I can read. But I added additional information for the rest of TO members. Seems locals have already chimed in to give a more realstic assessment of San Bernardino. I thank them for that.

> You didn't post any statistics.  That said,
> posting of crime statistics without providing
> context greatly skews what is being depicted.

Look it up yourself.