I am sure that riding the Orange Line or the T at rush hour could in many cultures be construed as inhumane. The Orange Line in particular is prone to "mechanical failures" at a rate only matched by a late model Pinto or the Green Line. This therefore causes delays and in turn overcrowding. Overcrowding that caused an elderly man to begin losing consciousness one August evening. How a world class city could tolerate such a horrible service is beyond me. As the train now is jammed, we have the insistent conductor barking like rabid nun about "closing the doors" "let people off" and "step to the back of the train". Worthy advice but is it necessary to rant while the train is traveling to the next stop? It is one continues stream of noise coming through cheap speakers. Besides 90 percent of the riders have iPods and are frantically masking these insistent diatribes. So here you have a delayed train, jammed with humanity and grating voice repeatedly issuing commands as if it were boot camp. If you can avoid any train with a "talker". It is breathtaking in just how horrible the T has become. I have been a rider for many years and perhaps my tolerance has dropped off but this is inexcusable as there is no accountability. One day, I flagged down one of the many T employees, in an orange vest, wandering aimlessly at the North Station stop and asked why additional trains were not running. He informed me that the electric current in the lines cannot be increased to handle added load. I am not sure if this is true but it makes sense. Well there you have it. During rush hour you can drive, walk, take a bike, ride the bus, or god forbid ride the Orange Line. And to the ignorant sow that refused to get out of the doorway so people could exit the train, my apologies for the shoulder roll, I was in foul mood and hoping to induce some behavior modification on your part. The swelling will stop in couple of days. read more

The orange line really tests my patience but it's on par with the rest of the T, I'd say. Trains break down on the orange line about as often as they do on the green line. Sometimes it's running fast, sometimes ridiculously slow. It's not very clean but it's also not filthy. It might be my least favorite line but I still take it a couple times a week so it can't be that bad. read more

I worked on the orange line for six years, and was taking it even before then. I like it best out of all the lines, I think. It is faster than the green line, gets more places than the blue line, and the red line is just weird and studenty (although my 2nd favorite line). I've heard people say they're afraid to take the orange line, i've never had A SINGLE PROBLEM. it's filled with mostly normal bostonians on their way to somewhere. occasionally there are crazy people, but you'll find those all over the city. And for all the delays you think it might have, the boston system is actually really dependable, especially for its age. So take the orange line, it has great stops that will get you all around where you need to go (back bay, new england medical center, north station, etc). :) read more

I like the orange line. I like that I can drive into and park at Wellington for less money and more well lit area than Alewife (though, who doesn't love the red line?). Sure, it's a little sketchy and not always 'on time' but I'd brave the orange line over dealing with the crowded, aggravating green line any day. read more

When I lived on the North Shore I took the Orange Line everyday into the city for work. I never had any issues (except constant switching problems at Wellington) and it is quick and pretty painless considering it is the MBTA. I only wish they added more parking spaces at Oak Grove, but thats an MBTA issue! Now that I am back on the green line, I miss the speed and promptnessof the orange line. I guess everything in life is relative *daydreaming* read more

It's silly to write reviews for every line and train station on the MBTA, so I will write my MBTA review on the Orange Line. Since this is the line I grew up closest to and used most often when I lived in Boston. First off, there is no comparison between the public transportation in Boston, and the PT in Atlanta (where I live now). If we're using metaphors, MBTA would be the big brother; captain of the football team, Rhodes scholar, and very proficient with the ladies. MARTA (in Atlanta) would be the red headed step child; slow, awkward, with a touch of autism. The MBTA will take you to any corner of the city and surrounding towns with it's complex and superior system of trains and buses. It has 4 major lines in the city: Orange, Green (trolleys), Red & Blue. Then it has the Purple Line (or the commuter rail) which will take you to far reaching suburban areas of Massachusetts. All the major stations have a wide reaching myriad of yellow buses. We'll call this the Yellow line, just for sh*ts and giggles ...my, that's a lot of different colors. This extension of the PT system will take you anywhere you need to go. Sh*t, I didn't own my first car until I was 24, because I just didn't need one. And that was after I moved to Cape Cod. Yes, some parts of the MBTA will be dirty. Some will smell like stagnant urine. It will harbor a slew of sketchy individuals. If you ride it enough times there is an exceptional chance that you will be robbed or mugged at least once. It is not for the naive or innocent lacking in "street" smarts. If you scare easily then find an alternative mode of transportation. I love the MBTA, because it was home. It was there for me when I needed it. It allowed me to be a productive member of society. And it allowed me to experience all that Boston has to offer. I know this system of trains and buses like the back of my hand, and if I ever have a need for it's use again then hopping on the T (as it's called in Boston) would be like riding a bike. FUN FACT: As young kids we came up with an ingenious method for free rides on the trolleys (Green Line). First, we'd get a plastic milk crate and cut one side out to make a 3-sided "seat". Then, you get 2 chains or ropes about 3 or 4 feet long with hooks on each end. Secure these chains or ropes to each side of the crate using your hooks. Each trolley had 2 windsheild wipers on the back of them. The base of these wipers could be used to hang something securely. If you ran up to the back of the trolly with your home-made "seat" behind you and ropes/chains in each hand then you could step up on the trolley's hitch while using your 2 remaining hooks to connect your crate to the 2 wipers' bases. This created sort of a "swinging" seat. Over time we became so skilled at doing this that we could do it even after the trolley began moving. Once you're strapped in enjoy the ride. When you want to get off and the trolley stops, simply step back onto the hitch, unhook yourself, and walk away. Hide your home-made seat somewhere until you're ready to go back. Other less ingenious, and even more dangerous methods, included grabbing the back of the trolleys hitch while riding a skateboard. Or, if there was enough snow on the ground you could simply glide along the street in your boots while tightly holding the hitch. read more

Oh my goodness gracious, where do I begin? First off, if you are ever in a hurry, do NOT rely on the Orange Line or the T in general. They will fuck you in the ass every time. I had the displeasure of riding the T on a daily basis for 13 months. It almost always let me down. I will say that riding the T wasn't by choice, but a necessary evil due my department at work being relocated to downtown Boston. That said, my god what an infuriating experience. I would get on each day at Wellington Station. This is the third inbound station from Oak Grove. Many a time the train would already be packed with every goddamn person you could imagine. Again this was only the third inbound station. There would be at least two more stops before I got off this moving nightmare. Most of time it would be jam packed, and all you can think of is how you can't wait to get off. Once it finally does come to stop, most of the people standing in the doorway won't get out of the fucking way because god forbid they lose their precious spot. I would then get to repeat this wonderful trip on the way home. I found that going outbound to Oak Grove after 5pm, it was only possible to get on this thing if I walked to North Station. I've have seen trains pull up to the platform at North Station, and they're so packed full, that you could actually feel the heat coming off all the bodies jammed together when the doors opened. I didn't mind walking to North Station, but on days when its lousy out, it's not a lot of fun. I think you see the worst of people (and I include myself) on the subway. People will cut you off to get a seat or try to get in front of you waiting for the train to arrive, or keep constantly bumping into you. Whenever there is bad weather, or just the possibility of bad weather, you can guarantee a delay on the Orange Line. Every time. Without fail. They provide updates on these delays with some sort of computerized voice that is ridiculous and sometimes hard to understand. Anyways, there isn't anything positive I can think of from my Orange Line experience. Unless you are a big fan of the smell of urine, or enjoy homeless people waving paper cups in your face asking for change outside Haymarket. I am just glad my T riding days are all over with. Godspeed to the rest of you. read more

I love the T. Coming from New York, this system is funny. I always take the Orange Line from Malden to Back Bay to get to work or to get to the Amtrak. There are tons of newspapers on the floor and the trains are filthy! The fabric seats freak me out!!! Especially the red colored ones!! Malden has too many crackheads. I like the sound the turnstile makes when you swipe your CHA-ly Cod. I hate waiting for the Orange line going back to Malden at Back Bay, it looks like it's indoors but it's not!! It's freezing!! Seems really reliable for the most part. I really dislike when it's all screwed up on Saturdays and you have to take a shuttle bus. No one has any fashion sense on this train like in NY. It's quite strange. It's fine you know just interesting to see a big city metropolis but everyone is wearing grey sweatpants and a green sweatshirt. i also love the t emblem. I want one of the huge ones like outside commuter rail stations! Maybe a pin would do i guess. Oh no I just sat in pee on the orange line! read more

Hate taking the orange line during rush hour. The trains are SO crowded it's not even funny. Most of the stations are kinda dirty and depressing as well. read more

This is the best rail line in Boston. It's faster than the C, D, and E green lines and doesn't breakdown as much as the red line.

For a while, it seemed like every time I rode the Orange line, there was someone vomiting on the train. Like, without fail. Thankfully this little tradition has ceased, but I still dislike the Orange Line. Would that there was another way into JP. read more

Out of all the trains in Boston, this is my least favorite. Yes it even beats the Green Line for the prize, mostly because i could consider this to be the least safe of all of them. Mechanically it is fine, as long as you ignore the delayed trains, I'm talking about the shady characters it picks up and drops off along the way. Overall it's fine, but I've definitely experienced better. read more

I have pretty much travelled on all the lines a lot. I travelled by the orange line one time two years back. And that was enough to scare the crap out of me forever. I was going to get inked with a friend, that too in the morning. We were stared at by 4 different men on our way there, one of them had enough balls to come stand inappropriately close to us. I know this happens on the red line too, but that particular day on the orange line is something I won't forget for a long time. read more

the orange line is quick and efficient, however you may have to wait a long time depending on the time of the day you travel. During morning rush hour (i'd say between 8am-9:30am) and evening (5:00pm-6:30pm), I'd say you will wait about 2-3 minutes for the train to come. However during non-peak times you could find yourself waiting 10-12 minutes for the next train to come! There is rarely any traffic or stopping with the orange line which I love (as opposed to sitting on the Green line which rolls down the tracks because there's so much damn traffic)! However I think due to its fast nature the conductors rush people on the trains. Passengers will be in the middle of boarding the train and the conductors will yell "WATCH THE DOORS, THE DOORS WILL BE CLOSING!" They are ruthless, will close the doors on people, etc. Sometimes in the morning I get on a car and it will smell overwhelmingly like farts. It's gross! It might be because they are so old. You only smell it right when you board the train, then you kind of get used to it after a minute. I work in the Back Bay so I will alternate betwen the Orange and Green lines during my commute to the Red Line. When I want to avoid crowdedness, and slow-moving trains I will opt for the Orange line on my nightly commute. Or if I leave work late and don't feel like waiting for a train, I will take the green line (as it runs so frequently). read more

this is one of the better lines of the T in terms of speediness, frequency, and not breaking down. However this is probably one of the sketchiest lines with the most sketchy stops/stations. I love that i never have to wait more than 5 or 10 mins to the train to come, and that it always comes. But some of the weirdest people get on this bus. Usually entertaining though. I take this line the most during all hours, and as long as you get off in the right places at the right times it's all good. Definitely my preferred line that i take the most. read more

Oh Orange Line--must we always be entangled in this love-hate relationship? As much as I want to give you an earful, I really shouldn't, because who else is able to get me to and from work, to and from entertainment? You are. You sometimes attract strange riders, but who can resist your charm? You may be littered with newspapers and spilled drinks, but I won't blame you for that. At least you warmly welcome us with heat on chilly, windy days and AC on blistering, humid summer days. You may give excuses of breaking down at certain points, but you know what? I'll let that slide. Because on most days, you're pretty reliable. read more

I live on the Orange Line and generally take it more than other MBTA services. While not the most aesthetically pleasing line, I find it to be very reliable and fast. I really think the Orange Line can get you anywhere about twice as fast as the Green Line. I have ridden the Orange Line at all times of the day and have never felt unsafe. I think the Orange Line gets a bad rap because it borders the "bad" neighborhoods of Boston and has the most visible diversity in ridership. This unfortunately makes some people feel unsafe. It's ok if Bostonians continue to discriminate against the Orange Line because that just creates more room for me. read more

I will never understand what the point of the time clocks are... Why have them if they mean literally nothing? I take this train every single day and without fail it will say "4 mins" and then for seemingly no reason and with no announcement, it will depart 15-20 mins later. It is awful, at least the red line communicates. Sitting on a train you believe to be leaving in minutes, in below 10 degree weather, is extremely poor customer service mbta read more

generally stinky and cannot decipher the 'announced' stops. charlie brown's teacher is the train conductor apparently. you can pretend to doze off to avoid inadvertent eye contact with the other eclectic passengers but make sure you perk up during stops or you'll miss yours. read more

The Orange Line is efficient, in that it gets you places quickly with out numerous stops. The trains might be old and dirty at times, but it serves its purpose. The people that ride on the O-Line aren't that nutty. There is just a lot more ethnic diversity, which is not a problem. Unlike the Red Line which is focused on tourists and yuppies; the Orange Line is the heart and soul of Boston's working class. One star off for the dirty cars, but other than that its great. read more

I've been in Boston 3 years now and have to say that the T is one of the best around. I'm not thrilled with the fare increases that I've seen in 3 short years but compared to NY or DC this is one of the most reliable services I've taken. The Red Line seems more spacious than the Orange at most times of the day but any way you slice it you can get almost anywhere you need to go for a reasonable price. read more

I was in Boston Aug 14-16, I had heard all about the reputation of the Orange line before I got there (through this site and others) I even asked a local on plane on my way there, and he gave me a thumbs down. My hotel was in Everett, north of downtown, so I was pretty much stuck with the Orange line, or take straight buses from that area. I opted to bus and Orange downtown, it was during morning rush, i had no problems. I stayed downtown all day then went to the Cards/Sox game that night, took the Green from Kenmore to Boylston after the game, walked a block to Chinatown station, took the Orange to Wellington, and then bus to my hotel. Had no problems. Yes trains or stations aren't sparkling clean, they're not in any big city, including my own in St. Louis. That's just the way it is. I saw no "homeless" people on the train, actually the only one I saw was in the middle of day on the Green near the Park station. I guess I wouldn't take the Orange south of Ruggles or any south side station, that's where the problems seem to be. read more

first of all, i'm surprised that one can even review the t. secondly and most importantly, i can't see how anyone can give this line 4 stars unless these people are giving away 4 stars like paris hilton gives out drunken photo ops. i've been off every orange line stop so i'm going to say i have the most orange line experience even if i don't, which i doubt because i'm a man and i know it all. i also have an orange line official t-shirt. i doebt any of these other pretenders can say that. i know you're all jealous. unless you're riding this beast during rush hour, you could die from old age before this baby comes. in a more likely scenario you could get stabbed, shot, groped, beaten, or mugged. that does appeal to the adventure seeking side of me so that's why it didn't get 1 star. i'm not saying this train is dangerous to ride, it's just dangerous 75% of the time. those people who say this train is safe and runs on time (i'm looking at you lynn and lynda) obviously have limited experience with the o-line. ride down towards forest hills on a weekend night. if they don't i'll buy them a beer, if they're still alive to claim it. the trains are old and usually appear dirty. it could be because they're old and dirty. on the plus side for the o-line, it does a good job of reducing car traffic into/out of boston. the orange line has many stops by big parking lots and/or are very close by major bus stops. it's basically a townie train if townies ever take a train. i know all of you are still jealous of my t-shirt. get it...T-shirt. read more

Been taking it for over 25 years. It is worse than ever now. Higher fares, less service. Same trains since 1989. (probably older) No noticeable air conditioning which makes rush hour just delightful. read more

I would give the Orange Line 5 stars but it's still the MBTA and no public transport in this city deserves the perfection of 5 stars. In my experience, the Orange Line runs most often; I never wait for more than 5 minutes for a train at Sullivan Station. It's no more dangerous than any other line. Ever ride the Red Line out into Dorchester? Yeah. SO NOT SAFE! The Orange Line connect to huge stations with massive bus terminals and parking lots. Imagine that! Get off at stops from other lines and you're stuck walking 20 minutes to your final destination. Also, the Orange Line trains are huge and can accommodate hundreds of people during rush hour. How many people can fit on a Green Line train? 50 annoying undergrads? Have fun with that. I'll take the Orange Line over any other train, any day. read more

I'm riding the orange line and yeah there's been a delay and it does smell like rotten eggs. What stinks more are some of the racist and classist comments on here. "Tons of sketchy people get off chinatown." Give me a break. read more

We visited Taiwan last year where the trains are clean, affordable and on time and each station has a public restroom. It was eye opening and made me realize just how filthy and expensive the MBTA has become. Shame on the MBTA. We deserve better. read more

Moved to Jamaica Plain a few months ago and started taking the orange line train daily, between JP and downtown. The train is fine in the morning. I figured they have been cleaned the night before so it's not too bad, but it smells like poop in the evening. At first I thought it was an isolated case, but then I noticed the orange line train smells like poop every single evening. It doesn't matter whether I get on the train at 7 pm or 8 or 9 or 10, and it doesn't matter which car I am in, it stinks! I have to literally cover my nose with a scarf or something. I googled it and found out I am not the only one who notices this shitty smell. The south bound train goes through some poor neighborhoods in Boston, and I noticed these neighborhoods are dirty (trash everywhere). If people trash their own front and back yard, they probably don't have good personal hygiene either (but smells like poop?!). Maybe these passengers are the reason why getting on the orange line is like entering a public restroom. read more

The orange is reliable. Sure it let me down a couple of times but the majority of the time it gets me where i want to go. Like the other reviews I agree that it is full of scumbags, drunks, people so high they cant keep their head up and it smells. A little bleach and 409 would go a long way (for the train and some of the passengers). It is public transportation so you have to be somewhat careful and know what neighborhood is not for you. Compared to the green line its five stars. read more

Can someone tell me how long it would take to get from back bay to wellington on the orange line?

Despite what the yuppies would have you think this is easily the best subway line. Sorry, ye faire yuppie, but I don't want to go to a hip bar in Harvard Square. I want to go to Dudley Square, Malden, parts of JP and downtown, and this gets me everywhere. Now true, it is by far the closest train to my house, but still, it gets me everywhere so quick. Rarely is it as late/messed up as the red line gets (can we please not talk about the green line lol). And by the way, the teenagers that get on in Roxbury/JP are much better behaved then the asshole college students and yuppies that invade this line downtown. If you think Roxbury and Dorchester are scary, clearly you haven't seen much in your life. I love the Orange Line, it does a good job getting me around, and hey, isn't that the point? Plus it connects to so many buses (far more than the red line does.) It's a great line and deserves a lot of credit for doing as well as it does with 30 year old train cars and the ancient infrastructure it travels on. This is Boston, if you want modern, go to DC. I'll appreciate one less yuppie on my train. read more

why does north station always smell like farts???