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Hi Laura:

When I first moved here, I took the train on a regular basis to go to my Spanish classes in Hato Rey (Piñero Station).  I would take the bus from Condado to the first station (Sagrado Corazon) and then over to Piñero.  There was a big parking area at Sagrado Corazon.  I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe.  Our class went to the fruit/vegetable market in Rio Piedras (two stations down from Piñero) and that was a lot of fun.  On the way back from class, I would sometimes get off at the Hato Rey station and take the ferry back into Old San Juan (I think it was $1.00 per person).  It was a neat way to see the old city from the water, especially if there are big ships in the harbor.  However, the ferry is out of service at times, and there is no way of knowing until you get up to the ticket counter.

If you go, you can get a metro card that can be used for the bus as well.  The last time I used one, they honored transfers.  I've gotten info from the Puerto Rico Day Trips website, so that may be a resource for you too.

Hope this helps.  Enjoy your trip!

My suggestion would be to just take the ride, it's kind of fun and i have taken a few people on the ride.  in Bayamon, you can get off and go to the Santa Rosa Mall  which is fine.  many of the other stops are kind of business oriented or in the middle of nothing.... no great urban thought or planning went in to this path!   I believe there is a stop near the Botanical Gardens but it's a VERY long walk so better to go by car.  If you can, visit VILLA CAMPESTRE .. it's a farm, rides, petting zoo and super hero place for the kids on the boarder of Bayamon... off Route 199.

Thanks for the info.  Is the Sagrado Corazon underground? I would like to ride the train when it's a below and above the ground for the full experience.  Gracias!
Laura

Sagrado Corazon is above ground.  I think it goes underground after the Piñero station.  When we took our trip to the market, we got off at the Rio Piedras station, and that was underground.  Not sure how much is above/under ground beyond that.  Enjoy!

Inspired by this topic I used the Tren Urbano for the first time today. I had an appointment in Hato Rey and parking over there is scarce & expensive.

Coming into town from the south we parked at the Martinez Nadal station (1,200 free parking spots), bought a ticket and took the train to Roosevelt station.

All in all a great experience. The stations are nice and clean so are the trains. Everything looks very well maintained, escalators and elevators are working. Amazing really.

From Rio Piedras to Martinez Nadal most of the track is above ground and the traveler has a great view.
I felt like a tourist and took a lot of photos.


Roosevelt station


Martinez Nadal station

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond.  We had a blast! And I blogged about it to:

Great suggestions. Gracias!

Awww, it looks like you had a fun time with the kids!