The Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail have tons of positive research for rail trails. Several different studies note crime is not a problem across multiple rail trails.
https://brucefreemanrailtrail.org/rail-trail-resources/rail-trail-studies/
Yes, big milestone as the State takes over from here. Full house turnout. Unfortunate it took literally decades to get to 25% design. Includes a tunnel under the MBTA tracks to the high school, which was a big selling point (and added to the delay because of MBTA design back-and-forth...