I took a Red Line train last week that was crowded according to the MBTA’s COVID-19 crowding standards, but the consensus on this week’s Codcast was that I didn’t need to worry.

My train car last Tuesday had about 65 people on it, one shy of the level the T says qualifies as crowded on a Red Line car. All of the passengers were wearing masks. Those seated had at least one seat separating them from other passengers. There were people standing in the middle of the car often near other passengers.

Jim Aloisi, the former secretary of transportation and TransitMatters board member, called my story on the crowded train ride a mild over-reaction “Your article might have given people an impression that they should be fearful of a situation that I don’t think is any more or less risky than any of the other activities that people do normally all the time,” he said.

Aloisi called the T a “fairly low-risk environment” as long as riders don’t spend too long on trains, keep their distance from other passengers, wear face coverings, and use trains where the ventilation system is working properly.

Listen to the full podcast episode here: