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Big Changes for Muni Metro When Subway Reopens in August

Muni aims for 40 trains/hour at peak times with more S shuttles and changing how trains compete to enter tunnels
By - posted 6/21/2020 No Comment

Get ready for a big addition to Muni’s COVID-19 Core Service Network: Muni Metro rail is scheduled to return in August to coincide with more businesses reopening and the likely event of San Francisco schools welcoming teachers and students back into their classrooms.

But the new Metro rail service will look different when it comes back: Some Muni Metro lines could be taken out of the subway to cut severe pre-COVID-19 delays and backups in the tunnels. This would also allow us to add more cars to our Metro trains to increase capacity.

Putting Metro rail back in service frees up buses currently in use for the L, M, N and T to serve additional routes and improve frequencies systemwide. A high-frequency shuttle in the subway would replace the Metro lines that we take out of the subway. Devoting the tunnels to the higher capacity routes would use the space in our subway much more efficiently. These changes will support more essential trips, physical distancing, and our city’s economic recovery.

We’re able to restart Metro rail with the implementation of a mobile cleaning program that allows us to clean buses and trains in the field rather than only at bus and rail yards. This new program helps to expand service levels by keeping more buses on the street. The more vehicles we have in circulation, the easier it is for customers to maintain physical distance onboard.

August Muni Metro Change Highlights

Subway Metro Rail:

  • All metro buses currently running will be suspended with the return of metro service. This includes the N Bus, L Bus and T Bus. The N Owl and L Owl bus service will continue.
  • The N Judah will return with two-car trains.
  • More frequent S Shuttles will return between West Portal and Embarcadero stations with two-car trains. These shuttles will run exclusively inside the subway.
  • The M Oceanview will return and be combined with the T Third – a practice known as “interlining.” This means we will be able to use two-car trains on both these lines when service returns.

Surface Metro Rail:

Metro rail service will return on the following routes, but will no longer use the subway in order to significantly cut down delays and congestion in the tunnels:

  • The L Taraval and K Ingleside will be combined (interlined) and will no longer enter the subway at West Portal Station. This new interlined route will run from the SF Zoo to City College at Balboa Park Station. West Portal will be a transfer point to either the M/T line or S Shuttles for riders who need to continue to downtown.
  • The J Church will no longer enter the subway. It will terminate at Market. To continue downtown customers can transfer to the M/T line or S Shuttle at Market and Church, or the N Judah at Duboce and Church.

Map of New Muni Metro Rail Configuration:

Making Metro More Reliable

We are all too familiar with the routine backups that occurred in the Metro rail tunnels before COVID-19. Trains would be stuck outside the tunnels, between stations and on the platforms for long periods, often unable to let customers on or off. For years J Church and N Judah customers have experienced delays waiting to enter the tunnel at Duboce. Customers have similar experiences waiting to exit the tunnel at West Portal Station. A major cause is structural – we move all seven of our Muni Metro lines through a single subway tunnel. Like a backed-up freeway, trains get stuck in traffic, causing unacceptable slowdowns and unreliable service across the system.

Change has been needed for a long time, but now, more than ever, we must get people to their jobs and activities reliably and reduce delays that could increase risk of exposure to COVID-19. As we emerge from shelter-in-place, it’s imperative that we take the opportunity to improve our rail service so that we can deliver people to and from school and work reliably. We don’t want our customers stuck on trains in between stations or crowding on station platforms. By limiting the number of lines that go into the subway, we can meet both of those goals.

This will be a big change to our previous Muni Metro rail service and a big adjustment for all of us. Customers would need to adapt some of their commute habits, so we are also working to ensure transfers are convenient for people to easily make their connections, particularly for seniors and people with disabilities.