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I take the J regularly to either Lorimer or Flushing and I don't see any problems. Flushing, with the clusterf##k of Broadway, Graham and Flushing Ave all merging at that junction can look menacing and shady, but there is nothing to worry about, IMO. And really, I can't find anything unsafe about the Marcy, Hewes and Lorimer stops.
The J runs above ground from Marcy Ave to Sutphin Blvd. The areas between Myrtle Ave and Crescent Street are a little dicey, but nothing to panic about. Just use basic street smarts like you would anywhere else.
This is assuming that we are getting off the train right? I'm actually going to travel right upto jamaica center. So I"ll b on the train from broadway junction to jamaica.
IAll in all it is rough on that line in comparison with other neighborhoods in Brooklyn BUT it is much better than it was 10/20 years ago. Just look like you are alert and paying attention and stay near the motorman or conductor if you are scared and alert them if you are in any danger. All in all my guess is you should be ok as long as you avoid the drunks and kids looking for trouble on Friday and Saturday nights.
So how does the J compare to the G then? in terms of safety?
I didn't realize that the G was a bad ride... IMO, the J is more dangerous to ride than the G but as motornmanmike already stated no more unsafe than 10-20 years ago when crime on the subway was alot more prevalent... I do feel this year as opposed to last year I have seen more thefts and runaways as well as more fights than last year... don't know if it's simply the trains I'm riding (which happen to be the J and E most of the time) or if there is some actual weight to this statement...
which stations in Brooklyn and queens does the J train run above the ground? is this a safe line during the day time? I believe it passes through the 'dangerous' neigborhood of East New York.
The J is elevated throughout Brooklyn, and also Queens except for the last two stations on the line.
As to 'dangerous,' that's entirely subjective. When I was a conductor, I worked the J several times. I certainly never had a problem with anyone on the trains.
(Here's a J train secret that a lot of people working in the Financial District in Manhattan probably won't believe: the running time for the J from Jamaica to Broad Street is 54 minutes. And the running time for the E from Jamaica to World Trade Center is 51 minutes. So all those silly people in Queens who pack themselves onto every departing E train are only saving three minutes in time...plus the fact that the Queens Boulevard line is always experiencing delays, while the J isn't in competition with other lines).
G is not as as sketchy as J. The area of Bed-Stuy it runs through is the "not too bad" section. Marcy Houses would be the worst little part it goes by, but mostly it rides through very tame areas...Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island City.
I used to ride the J train day and night for many years when i commuted to law school and my job on Wall Street. I used to get off at Forest Parkway-85th street at all sorts of hours. I was never robbed. Just mind your business and avoid altercations. As long as you are alert you should be fine. The "danger" stops run from Marcy Ave to about Cypress Hills.
There is a transfer point at Broadway Junction (where you can transfer to the A) and that particular station can be dangerous but there are many cops that patrol that part.
Plus there's a police station embedded in Broadway Junction, so yeah.
And to be honest, I never really felt any danger on the J train, But I suppose some people always feel danger somewhere, like people who claim that the neighborhood is unsafe unless they live in a doorman building. Really, the L train feels way more sketchy in the same sort of area, but again, I've never been robbed. Plus who robs at gunpoint on the subway? I'm betting that it was more than likely a bluff (wallet or watergun pressed in the back where the victim can't see it)
I am a train operator and I worked the J line Saturday nights into Sunday morning for 6 months last year so my opinion is based on actual experience working the line. The line itslef goes through some rough areas. I have seen gangs get on the train , I have had fights occur on the train , and there was a gang assault-homicide at 85th-Forest Parkway last summer that made the news although it was not front page material and if memory serves me I believe the victim was a case of mistaken identity.
As other posters have stated , if you look street smart and pay attention , you should generally be ok. Once Sunday morning came after 5:30am it was a different world with the drunks and troublemakers gone and seeing people dressed up for church and going to work and families out. That line from what you see on a Saturday night into Sunday morning from 2-5 a.m. and from 6-9 a.m. is like being in two different worlds.
As far as stops go , ironically most problems I saw occurred in Manhattan at Essex street. In 6 months I had 4 incidents at that station that I had to either personally get involved in or call the cops for. Broadway Junction can be dangerous at all times of the day.
I have not personally seen any incidents at the Myrtle Ave train station - I also did M shuttles at night and changing ends at Myrtle Ave , but I would on occasion see police activity by the turnstiles and down on the street below.
All in all it is rough on that line in comparison with other neighborhoods in Brooklyn BUT it is much better than it was 10/20 years ago. Just look like you are alert and paying attention and stay near the motorman or conductor if you are scared and alert them if you are in any danger. All in all my guess is you should be ok as long as you avoid the drunks and kids looking for trouble on Friday and Saturday nights.
If you want to see real wildness , ride the A line Friday and Saturday nights in Brooklyn. I saw a gang fight at Shepherd Ave and called the cops one Friday night. Funny thing was it was girls brawling with guys watching and the girls were tearing each others clothes off , and everytone was standing in the trains doorways watching and doing nothing. And then when the fight was over all the combatants left together as if nothing happened. Maybe was a gang initiation or something , I don't know.
Yea I could imagine the Manhattan stations having the most issues. I've seen more drunk fights and drama on the LIRR at Penn Station (Babylon and Ronkonkoma Branch) than I've seen on most the train lines in the city. Oh and you are so right about the A train in Brooklyn...that line is a mess from Utica to Euclid. Also the D train in the Bronx and the 3 train from Franklin to New Lots in Brooklyn is pretty wild too.
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