Muni Metro

File:MUNI 1149 East Portal Feb 1967xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg – the original Muni subway segment, February 1967]]

The first street railroad in San Francisco was the San Francisco Market Street Railroad Company, which was incorporated in 1857 and began operating in 1860, with track along Market Street from California to Mission Dolores.{{cite book |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008922968 |title=The municipal railway of San Francisco, 1912–1921 |author=O'Shaughnessy, M.M. |date=1921 |publisher=J.A. Prudhomme Composition Co |location=San Francisco, California |access-date=January 17, 2017 |page=9}} Muni Metro descended from the municipally-owned traditional streetcar system started on December 28, 1912, when the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) was established.{{cite web |url=http://streetcar.org/fline-history.html |title=A Brief History of the F-Market & Wharves Line |publisher=Market Street Railway |access-date=August 22, 2010}} The first streetcar line, the A Geary, ran from Kearny and Market Streets in the Financial District to Fulton Street and 10th Avenue in the Richmond District.{{cite web |url=http://www.outsidelands.org/A-line.php |title=Streetcars: The A Line |publisher=Western Neighborhoods Project |date=May 22, 2002 |access-date=March 8, 2008}}O'Shaughnessy (1921),p. 18 The system slowly expanded, opening the Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1917,{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hgtun.htm |title=The City's Tunnels: When S.F. Can't Go Over, It Goes Under Its Hills |first=Kevin |last=Wallace |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=SFGenealogy |date=March 27, 1949 |access-date=March 8, 2009}} allowing streetcars to run to the southwestern quadrant of the city. By 1921, the city was operating {{convert|304|mi}} of electric trolley lines and {{convert|25|mi}} of cable car lines.O'Shaughnessy (1921), p. 5 The last line to start service before 2007 was the N Judah, which started service after the Sunset Tunnel opened in 1928.{{cite web |url=http://www.outsidelands.org/N-line.php |title=N Judah Streetcar Line |publisher=Western Neighborhoods Project |date=October 18, 2007 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}

In the 1940s and 1950s, as in many North American cities, public transit in San Francisco was consolidated under the aegis of a single municipal corporation, which then began phasing out much of the streetcar network in favor of buses.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/about-sfmta/our-history-and-fleet/muni-history |title=Muni's History |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701151056/http://sfmta.com/about-sfmta/our-history-and-fleet/muni-history |archive-date=July 1, 2014}} However, five heavily used streetcar lines traveled for at least part of their routes through tunnels or otherwise reserved right-of-way, and thus could not be converted to bus lines.{{cite web |url=http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf |title=This Is Light Rail Transit |work=Light Rail Transit Committee |publisher=Transportation Research Board |page=7 |date=November 2000 |access-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417103723/http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=April 17, 2018}} As a result, these lines, running PCC streetcars, continued in operation.

Original plans for the BART system drawn up in the 1950s envisioned a double-decked subway tunnel under Market Street (known as the Market Street subway) in downtown San Francisco; the lower deck would be dedicated to express trains, while the upper would be served by local trains whose routes would spread south and west through the city. However, by 1961 these plans were altered; only a single BART route would travel through the city on the lower deck, while the upper deck would be served by the existing Muni streetcar routes.{{cite web |title=Rapid Transit for the San Francisco Bay Area |url=http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/bart/1961-parsons-engineering-report-to-sf-bart-district.pdf |website=LA Metro Library |publisher=Parsons Brinckerhoff / Tudor / Bechtel |access-date=21 July 2018}} The new tunnel would be connected to the existing Twin Peaks Tunnel. The new underground stations would feature high platforms, and the older stations would be retrofitted with the same, which meant that the PCCs could not be used in them. Hence, a fleet of new light rail vehicles was ordered from Boeing-Vertol, but were not delivered until 1979–80, even though the tunnel was completed in 1978. The K and M lines were extended to Balboa Park during this time, providing further connections to BART. (The J line also saw an extension there in 1991, which provided yet another BART connection at Glen Park.)

File:PCC 1025 and Boeing LRV 1220 at West Portal, November 1980.jpg passes an {{Nowrap|M Ocean View}} PCC at West Portal, November 1980]]

On February 18, 1980, the Muni Metro was officially inaugurated, with weekday N line service in the subway.{{cite book |last=Perles |first=Anthony |title=The People's Railway: The History of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco |year=1981 |publisher=Interurban Press |location=Glendale, CA (US) |isbn=0-916374-42-4 |page=250}} The Metro service was implemented in phases, and the subway was served only on weekdays until 1982. The K Ingleside line began using the entire Metro subway on weekdays on June 11, 1980, the L Taraval and M Ocean View lines on December 17, 1980, and lastly the J Church line on June 17, 1981.{{cite book |last1=McKane |first1=John |last2=Perles |first2=Anthony |title=Inside Muni: The Properties and Operations of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco |year=1982 |publisher=Interurban Press |location=Glendale, CA (US) |isbn=0-916374-49-1 |pages=189–202}} Meanwhile, weekend service on all five lines (J, K, L, M, N) continued to use PCC cars operating on the surface of Market Street through to the Transbay Terminal, and the Muni Metro was closed on weekends. At the end of the service day September 19, 1982, streetcar operations on the surface of Market Street were discontinued entirely, the remaining PCC cars taken out of service, and weekend service on the five light rail lines was temporarily converted to buses.Soiffer, Bill (September 20, 1982). "The Last Streetcar On Top of Market". San Francisco Chronicle, p. 2.{{cite book |last=Perles |first=Anthony |title=Tours of Discovery: A San Francisco Muni Album |year=1984 |publisher=Interurban Press |isbn=0-916374-60-2 |pages=126, 136}} Finally, on November 20, 1982, the Muni Metro subway began operating seven days a week.

At the time, there were no firm plans to revive any service on the surface of Market Street or return PCCs to regular running. However, tracks were rehabilitated for the 1983 Historic Trolley Festival, and the inauguration of the F line, served by heritage streetcars, followed in 1995.

File:Train of Boeing LRVs waiting to depart Muni Metro's Embarcadero station in 1993.jpg, August 1993]]

By the late 1980s, Muni scheduled 20 trains per hour (TPH) through the Market Street subway at peak periods, with all trains using the crossover west of Embarcadero station to reverse direction. To allow for high frequencies on the surface branches, eastbound trains were combined at West Portal and Duboce Portal, and westbound trains split at those locations. Two-car N Judah trains and one-car J Church trains (each 10TPH) combined at the Duboce Portal, while two-car L Taraval trains (10TPH) alternately combined with two-car M Ocean View and K Ingleside (each 5 TPH) trains at West Portal to form four-car trains. However, this provided suboptimal service; many inbound trains did not arrive at the portals in time to combine into longer trains.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/munimetroturnaro1989unit#page/n63/mode/2up |pages=1–3 |chapter=Chapter 1 |title=Muni Metro Turnaround Project: Final Environmental Impact Statement |publisher=United States Department of Transportation Urban Mass Transportation Administration |via=Internet Archive |date=August 1989}}

In the mid- to late-1990s, San Francisco grew more prosperous and its population expanded with the advent of the dot-com boom, and the Metro system began to feel the strain of increased commuter demand. Muni criticism had been something of a feature of life in San Francisco, and not without reason. The Boeing trains were sub-par and grew crowded quickly,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48536185/the-san-francisco-examiner/ |title=Muni relief delayed till next year |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |first=Tyche |last=Hendricks |date=September 22, 1998 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} and the difficulty in running a hybrid streetcar and light rail system—with five lines merging into one—led to scheduling problems on the main trunk lines with long waits between arrivals and commuter-packed trains sometimes sitting motionless in tunnels for extended periods of time.

Muni did take steps to address these problems. Newer, larger Breda cars were ordered, an extension of the system towards South Beach — where many of the new dot-coms were headquartered — was built, and the underground section was switched to Automatic Train Operation (ATO). The Breda cars, however, came in noisy, overweight, oversized, under-braked, and over-budget (their price grew from US$2.2{{nbsp}}million per car to nearly US$3{{nbsp}}million over the course of their production).{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/04/22/MN15091.DTL |title=Muni Investing in More Breda Streetcars |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=April 22, 1999 |access-date=April 18, 2007}}{{cite news |first=Erin |last=McCormick |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/12/10/NEWS2490.dtl |title=Muni rolling out first of new fleet of streetcars |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=April 21, 1997 |access-date=April 18, 2007}} In fact, the new trains were so heavy ({{convert|10000|lb}} more than the Boeing LRVs they replaced) that some homeowners, claiming that the exceptional weight of the Breda cars damaged their foundations, sued the city of San Francisco.{{cite news |url=http://www.noevalleyvoice.com/1998/March/breda.html |title=J-Line Residents Ready to Rumble Over Breda Cars |newspaper=The Noe Valley Voice |access-date=April 18, 2007}} The Breda cars are longer and wider than the previous Boeing cars, necessitating the modification of subway stations and maintenance yards, as well as the rear view mirrors on the trains themselves. Furthermore, the Breda cars do not run in three car trains, like the Boeing cars used to, as doing so had, in some instances, physically damaged the overhead power wires.{{cite web |url=http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0861.html |title=Coupling without orders is technically an avoidable accident |publisher=Rescue MUNI |access-date=April 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000920035744/http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0861.html |archive-date=September 20, 2000}} The Breda trains were so noisy that San Francisco budgeted over $15{{nbsp}}million to quiet them down, while estimates range up to $1{{nbsp}}million per car to remedy the excessive noise.{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1997/08/14/MN9354.DTL |title=Muni Plans to Quiet Streetcars |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=August 14, 1997 |access-date=April 18, 2007}} To this day, the Breda cars are noisier than the PCC or Boeing cars. In 1998, federal inspectors mandated a lower speed limit of {{convert|30|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, down from {{convert|50|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, because the brakes were problematic.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Fundamental-Flaws-Derail-Hopes-of-Improving-Muni-2989206.php |title=Fundamental Flaws Derail Hopes of Improving Muni |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=September 21, 1998 |author=Nolte, Carl |access-date=April 18, 2007}}{{cite web |year=2004 |url=http://ginnadowler.blogspot.com/2004/11/real-time-subways.html |title=Real-time Subways |publisher=Gin and Tonic |access-date=April 21, 2007}}

The ATC system was plagued by numerous glitches when first implemented, initially causing significantly more harm than good. Common occurrences included sending trains down the wrong tracks, and, more often, inappropriately applying emergency braking.{{cite web |year=1998 |url=http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0883.html |title=EBs in the Subway—ARRGH |publisher=Rescue Muni |access-date=April 21, 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208104123/http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0883.html |archive-date=February 8, 2012}} Eventually the result was a spectacular service crisis, widely referred to as the "Muni meltdown", in the summer of 1998. During this period, two reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle—one riding in the Muni Metro tunnel and one on foot on the surface—held a race through downtown, with the walking reporter emerging the winner.{{cite news |first1=Edward |last1=Epstein |first2=Steve |last2=Rubenstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/09/01/MN27926.DTL |title=A Walker Matches Train Pace |access-date=February 15, 2009 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=September 1, 1998}}

After initial problems with the ATC were fixed, substantial upgrades to the entire Muni transit systems have gone a long way towards resolving persistent crowding and scheduling issues. Nonetheless, Muni remains one of the slowest urban transport systems in the United States.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

In 1980, the M Ocean View was extended from Broad Street and Plymouth Avenue to its current terminus at Balboa Park. In 1991, the J Church was extended from Church and 30th Streets to its current terminus at Balboa Park. In 1998, the N Judah was extended from Embarcadero Station to the planned site of the new Pacific Bell Park and Caltrain Depot,{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Brown-Tries-To-Soothe-Muni-Riders-Service-on-2994640.php |title=Brown Tries To Soothe Muni Riders / Service on N-Judah line has been abysmal all week – SFGate |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=August 26, 1998 |access-date=March 27, 2013}} The extension was briefly served between January and August of that year by the temporary E Embarcadero{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |title=Muni's Embarcadero Streetcar Line Set to Make First Runs |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/01/09/MN36312.DTL |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 9, 1998 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Taylor |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PAGE-ONE-Muni-s-New-E-Line-No-Beeline-Trains-3009399.php |title=PAGE ONE – Muni's New E-Line No Beeline / Trains more tardy, irregular than buses – SFGate |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=April 6, 1998 |access-date=March 27, 2013}} light rail shuttle (restored in 2015 as the E Embarcadero heritage streetcar line).

In 2007, the T Third Street, running south from Caltrain Depot along Third Street to the southern edge of the city, opened as part of the Third Street Light Rail Project. Limited weekend T line service began on January 13, 2007, while full service began on April 7, 2007. The line initially ran from the southern terminus at Bayshore Boulevard and Sunnydale Street to Castro Street Station in the north.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/tthirdsvc.htm |title=New T-Third Service |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=January 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511191810/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/tthirdsvc.htm |archive-date=May 11, 2008}} The line ran into initial problems with breakdowns, bottlenecks, and power failures, creating massive delays.{{cite news |first=Rachel |last=Gordon |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/12/MNGKFP790F1.DTL |title=Passengers Left in Lurch By T-Third's Rough Start |work=San Francisco Chronicle |page=A-1 |date=April 12, 2007 |access-date=March 20, 2009}} Service changes to address complaints with the introduction of the T Third Street were implemented on June 30, 2007, when the K and T trains were interlined, or effectively merged into one single line with route designations changing at the entrances into the subway (T becomes K outbound at Embarcadero; K becomes T inbound at West Portal).{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/malerts/ServiceChangesEffectiveJune302007.htm |title=Service Changes Effective June 30, 2007 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |year=2007 |access-date=July 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024041315/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/malerts/ServiceChangesEffectiveJune302007.htm |archive-date=October 24, 2007}}

The Central Subway runs between Chinatown station in Chinatown and a portal in South of Market (SoMa), with intermediate stops at Union Square/Market Street station in Union Square and Yerba Buena/Moscone station in SoMa. A surface portion runs through SoMa to connect to the existing T Third Street line at 4th and King station. Muni estimates that the Central Subway section of the T Third Street line will carry roughly 35,100 riders per day by 2030.{{cite web |url=http://centralsubwaysf.com/content/faqs#ridership |title=FAQS MTA Central Subway |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=August 25, 2013}} Originally set to open in late 2018, the subway opened with weekend-only shuttle service on November 19, 2022. Full service as part of the T Third Street line began on January 7, 2023.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/travel-updates/central-subway-service-changes |title=Central Subway Service Changes |date=November 19, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}{{Cite press release |title=Central Subway Opens November 19 with Special Weekend Service |date=November 1, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/central-subway-opens-november-19-special-weekend-service}}{{cite news |last1=Bay City News |title=New Central Subway Line Opens in San Francisco |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/central-subway-line-san-francisco/3123506/ |access-date=January 7, 2023 |work=KNTV |publisher=NBC Owned Television Stations |date=January 7, 2023|author1-link=Bay City News }} Additional shuttle trains signed "S Chase Center" will operate between {{munis|Chinatown}} and {{munis|UCSF/Chase Center}} for events at Chase Center.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/new-t-third-route-central-subway-starting-january-7 |title=New T Third Route in Central Subway Starting January 7 |date=December 13, 2022 |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}

File:Muni Metro (2020-08).svg

On March 30, 2020, Muni Metro service was replaced with buses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/starting-march-30-new-muni-service-changes |title=Starting March 30: New Muni Service Changes |date=March 26, 2020 |first=Amy |last=Fowler |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} The SFMTA reopened rail service on August 22, 2020,{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/major-muni-service-expansion-august-22 |title=Major Muni Service Expansion August 22 |date=August 18, 2020 |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} but returned to bus substitution three days later, citing malfunctioning overhead wire splices and the need to quarantine control center staff after a COVID-19 case.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/travel-updates/bus-substitution-all-rail-lines |date=August 25, 2020 |title=Bus Substitution for All Rail Lines |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}{{cite news |title=Muni tells train riders to get back on the bus |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/muni-tells-train-riders-to-get-back-on-the-bus/ |date=August 24, 2020 |first=Carly |last=Graf |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner}} During this brief time, routes were reconfigured to improve reliability in the subway:

• J Church service operated as an only-surface route between {{Munis|Balboa Park}} and {{Munis|Church and Market}}, requiring transfers to the Market Street subway at Church station.
• K Ingleside and L Taraval service was interlined as the LK, running between {{Munis|Taraval and Sunset}} and Balboa Park; no J, K, or L service entered the subway. Light-rail service west of Sunset Boulevard was replaced by buses to allow for construction. Transfers were required at West Portal station.
• M Ocean View and T Third Street service was interlined as the TM, running between Sunnydale and Balboa Park.
• S Shuttle service was increased, running with the TM and N in the subway.

Advocates with local nonprofit Senior and Disability Action criticized this route configuration, expressing concern over the need to transfer at West Portal and Church stations.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/muni-improvements-could-make-things-harder-for-seniors-disabled/ |title=Muni 'improvements' could make things harder for seniors, disabled |first=Carly |last=Graf |date=August 18, 2020 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner}} In November 2020, the SFMTA that announced some rail lines such as the N Judah and T Third would likely return in early 2021, followed by a gradual return to full operation. Kirschbaum said the agency was reconsidering its approach to maintenance after the botched attempt to reopen in August, and that it might take 5 to 8 years to fully address the system's vulnerabilities.{{cite news|last1=Graf|first1=Carly|date=3 November 2020|title='Some rail' expected to return early 2021, but additional shutdowns might be necessary|work=San Francisco Examiner|url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/some-rail-expected-to-return-early-2021-but-additional-shutdowns-might-be-necessary/|access-date=21 November 2020}} Among the most urgent issues was replacing the track ballast in the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which was meant to be replaced during a maintenance project in 2018 but was instead reused at that time. City supervisors harshly criticized the mistake, which SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin blamed on a "culture of fear" he was working to correct since becoming the agency's leader in 2019.{{cite news |last1=Graf |first1=Carly |title=SFMTA head says 'culture of fear' at agency contributed to series of botched capital projects |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/sfmta-head-says-culture-of-fear-at-agency-contributed-to-series-of-botched-capital-projects/ |access-date=20 November 2020 |work=San Francisco Examiner |date=20 November 2020}}

The surface-only (from Market Street to Balboa Park) J Church route resumed service on December 19, 2020, followed by the Embarcadero–Sunnydale portion of the T Third Street on January 23, 2021.{{Cite press release|title=Upcoming Muni Service Expansions Phase-in Rail Service, Add Bus Service|date=December 7, 2020|publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency|url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/upcoming-muni-service-expansions-phase-rail-service-add-bus-service|last1=Maguire|first1=Mariana|access-date=December 21, 2021}} N Judah and K Ingleside light rail service resumed on May 15, 2021, with the K and T again interlined, along with S Shuttle service now converted to supplementary.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715175640/https://www.sfmta.com/projects/rail-recovery |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/rail-recovery |title=Rail Recovery |date=July 7, 2020 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/welcome-back-westside-k-ingleside-trains |title=Welcome Back to the Westside, K Ingleside Trains! |date=April 16, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} At that time, some stations were converted to new wayfinding signage based on international standards, with compass directions like "westbound" replacing older "inbound"/"outbound" directions.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/muni-metro-debuts-new-international-wayfinding-standards |title=Muni Metro Debuts New International Wayfinding Standards |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |date=July 22, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} M Ocean View light rail service resumed on August 14, 2021. The L remained served by buses due to a multi-year reconstruction on the surface section of the line until it resumed train service on September 28, 2024.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/welcoming-back-m-ocean-view-and-31-balboa |title=Welcoming Back the M Ocean View and 31 Balboa |date=July 15, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}{{Cite web|title=L Taraval Improvement Project|url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/l-taraval-improvement-project|access-date=November 26, 2021|website=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.| date=February 10, 2014 }}{{Cite web|title=L Taraval Trains Return This Month: Learn the Details and All About the Corridor's Upgrades|url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/l-taraval-trains-return-month-learn-details-and-all-about-corridors-upgrades|access-date=October 19, 2024|website=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.| date=September 12, 2024 }} Service only ran until 9pm until October 2, 2021, when it was extended to 10pm on Sundays and midnight on other days to better align with BART's late-night service.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/late-night-metro-and-more-j-church-service-starts-october-2-2021 |title=Late Night Metro and More J Church Service Starts October 2, 2021 |date=September 30, 2021 |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} J Church service resumed subway service on February 19, 2022.{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/travel-updates/muni-service-changes-starting-saturday-february-19-2022 |title=Muni Service Changes Starting Saturday, February 19, 2022 |date=February 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}

Several further expansions have been proposed. SFMTA has studied extending the Central Subway as an above-ground light rail line or subway through North Beach, and into the Marina district, with the possibility of eventually terminating in the Presidio.{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2014/12-2-14%20Item%2015%20T-Third%20Phase%203%20Concept%20Study.pdf |title=T-Third Phase 3 Concept Study |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=April 28, 2018}}

Starting in 2017, the SFMTA, in collaboration with other city agencies, began its ConnectSF process to plan its vision for future transit expansions that would follow its then under construction projects such as Van Ness BRT and the Central Subway.{{cite web|title=About ConnectSF|url=https://connectsf.org/about/about-connectsf/|accessdate=May 1, 2024|publisher=City and County of San Francisco}} The final report on transit from the ConnectSF program was released in 2021 and identified two major corridors for Muni Metro expansion: a subway line along the Geary Boulevard and 19th Avenue corridor connecting to Daly City, and the extension of the Central Subway to Fisherman's Wharf that had already undergone preliminary analysis.{{cite report|title=ConnectSF Transit Strategy|url=https://connectsf.org/wp-content/uploads/ConnectSF_Transit_Strategy_FINAL-20211209-1.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104234049/https://connectsf.org/wp-content/uploads/ConnectSF_Transit_Strategy_FINAL-20211209-1.pdf|archivedate=January 4, 2024|date=December 2021|publisher=City and County of San Francisco|accessdate=May 1, 2024}} The Geary/19th corridor would replace earlier efforts to plan a standalone Geary subway line, such as in the 2017 20-year Capital Plan,{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports/2017/9-15-15%20Item%2011%20Capital%20Plan.pdf |title=SFMTA 20-year Capital Plan |date=2017 |access-date=April 28, 2018 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} and the planning effort started in 2014 (called the Muni Subway Expansion Project) to extend the M Ocean View in a fully grade-separated right-of-way to better serve the 19th Avenue corridor that had begun preliminary engineering studies in 2018.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfcta.org/transportation-planning-and-studies/current-research-and-other-projectsstudies/19th-avenue-transit-study-home |title=19th Avenue Transit Study |publisher=San Francisco County Transportation Authority |access-date=April 27, 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/muni-subway-expansion-project |title=Muni Subway Expansion Project |date=June 5, 2014 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=April 27, 2018}}

The ConnectSF report also identified the need to modernize the Muni Metro system. Key improvements that are planned include a new train control system that utilizes communications-based train control and infrastructure improvements that would enable longer trains to run in the subway and on some surface lines with greater reliability. As of 2024, the train control system replacement was in the planning stages with a pilot implementation planned in 2025 and with the entire upgrade estimated to be completed in 2029.{{cite news|url=https://www.railwayage.com/news/muni-atcs-replacement-under-way/|title=Muni ATCS Replacement Under Way|last=Vantuono|first=William C.|date=January 12, 2024|accessdate=May 1, 2024}} The SFMTA board approved a $212 million design and procurement contract and a $114 million ten-year support contract with Hitachi Rail in October 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/media/40835/download?inline |title=Train Control Upgrade Project |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=October 15, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/media/40834/download?inline |title=Calendar Item No. 12 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=October 15, 2024}}

{{See also|List of Muni Metro stations}}

The Muni Metro system consists of {{convert|71.5|mi|km}} of standard gauge track, seven light rail lines (six regular lines and one peak-hour line), three tunnels, 12 subway stations, 25 surface stations, and 87 surface stops.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/about-sfmta/our-history-and-fleet/sfmta-fleet/muni-metro-light-rail |title=Muni Metro Light Rail |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=November 22, 2013}}

File:Muni Castro Tunnel.jpg]]

File:Sunset-Tunnel-east.jpg entering the eastern portal of the Sunset Tunnel]]

The backbone of the system is formed by two interconnected subway tunnels, the older Twin Peaks Tunnel and the newer Market Street subway, both controlled by automatic train operation systems to run trains with the operators closing the door to allow the train to pull out of a station. This ATO system was upgraded in 2015 to replace outdated software and relays.{{cite news |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Joe Fitzgerald |title=Tech in the tunnels: Muni train control system gets biggest upgrade since the '90s |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/tech-in-the-tunnels-muni-train-control-system-gets-biggest-upgrade-since-the-90s/Content?oid=2929518 |access-date=May 26, 2015 |work=San Francisco Examiner |date=May 10, 2015}} The tunnels, {{convert|5.5|mi|km}} in total length, run from West Portal Station in the southwestern part of the city to Embarcadero Station in the heart of the Financial District. Three lines—the K Ingleside, the L Taraval, and the M Ocean View—feed into the tunnel at West Portal, while two lines, the J Church and N Judah, enter at a portal near Church Street and Duboce Avenue in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood. The N Judah enters and exits the tunnel at Embarcadero. The T Third Street is the only line in the Muni Metro that does not enter the tunnel, instead going through the Central Subway. An additional tunnel, the Sunset Tunnel, is located near the Duboce portal and is served by the N.

The interconnected tunnels contain nine subway stations.{{cite web |title=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Capital Investment Plan — FY 2009–2013 |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rsrtp/documents/APPROVEDforweb-accessibleMTABCIP2008doc-REVISED050723.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=August 15, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205073125/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rsrtp/documents/APPROVEDforweb-accessibleMTABCIP2008doc-REVISED050723.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2009}} Three stations—West Portal, Forest Hill and the now-defunct Eureka Valley—were opened in 1918 as part of the Twin Peaks Tunnel,{{cite web |url=http://www.outsidelands.org/wotp.php |title=West of Twin Peaks |date=May 9, 2006 |access-date=January 14, 2009 |publisher=Western Neighborhoods Project}} while the other seven—Castro Street, Church Street, Van Ness, Civic Center, Powell Street, Montgomery Street and Embarcadero—were opened in 1980 as part of the Market Street subway. Four stations, Civic Center, Powell Street, Montgomery Street, and Embarcadero, are shared with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), with Muni Metro on the upper level and BART on the lower one.{{cite journal |url=http://pubsindex.trb.org/view.aspx?id=145760 |title=San Francisco's Muni Metro, A Light-Rail Transit System |access-date=August 22, 2010 |last=Bei |first=R. |year=1978 |journal=TRB Special Report No. 182, Light-Rail Transit: Planning and Technology |issue=182 |publisher=Transportation Research Board}}

File:Westbound N Judah train at 4th Avenue, March 2012.jpg

Above ground, there are twenty-four surface platform stations. Two stations, Stonestown and San Francisco State University, are located at the southwestern part of the city, while the rest are located on the eastern side of the city, where the system underwent recent expansion as part of the Embarcadero extension and the Third Street Light Rail Project. However, many of the stops on the system are surface stops consisting of anything from a traffic island to a yellow-banded "Car Stop" sign painted on a utility pole.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/newcust.htm#stop |title=Info for New Riders: How do I find a bus stop? |access-date=August 3, 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727040554/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/newcust.htm#stop |archive-date=July 27, 2011}}

All subway and surface stations are accessible to people with disabilities. Because the system uses high-floor vehicles, while operating as a streetcar, the vehicles are not accessible to people with disabilities that impact their mobility. A select number of stops, typically located near major intersections, are equipped with ramps or lifts, for people with disabilities.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/access.htm#metro |title=Muni Metro accessibility |access-date=February 14, 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727031505/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/access.htm#metro |archive-date=July 27, 2011}}

Muni Metro has two rail yards for storage and maintenance:

• Green Yard or Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center at 425 Geneva Avenue is located adjacent to Balboa Park Station and serves as the outbound terminus for the J Church, K Ingleside, and M Ocean View. The facility has repair facilities, an outdoor storage yard and larger carhouse structure. The facility was renamed for former and late head of Muni in 1987.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/07/31/BA237994.DTL |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |first=Carl |last=Nolte |title=Curtis E. Green – rose from bus driver to head of S.F. Muni |date=June 24, 2011}}
• Muni Metro East is a newer facility opened in 2008 and is located along the Central Waterfront on Illinois and 25th Streets in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, a block from the T Third Street line.{{cite news |first=Rachel |last=Gordon |title=S.F. streetcars get a new maintenance yard |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/17/BA6E12V5KO.DTL |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=February 14, 2009}} The {{convert|180000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} maintenance facility with outdoor storage area is located next to Northern Container Terminal and former Army Pier.

{{See also|List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines}}

{{See also|San Francisco Municipal Railway fleet}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

{{main|US Standard Light Rail Vehicle}}

File:San Francisco Boeing LRV at Duboce & Church, March 1980.jpg on N Judah in March 1980, shortly after the opening of the Muni Metro]]

Muni Metro first operated Boeing Vertol-made US Standard Light Rail Vehicles (USSLRV), which were built for Muni Metro and Boston's MBTA.{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Kathleen |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Muni-knew-about-trolley-lemons-in-70s-3070106.php |title=Muni knew about trolley lemons in '70s |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |date=September 14, 1998 |access-date=December 9, 2012}} Boeing had no experience in making LRVs, and has not made another since.{{cite news |last=Lelchuk |first=Ilene |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Muni-cars-on-a-roll-into-city-junkyard-Even-2883855.php |title=Muni cars on a roll into city junkyard |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=January 14, 2002 |access-date=December 9, 2012}} The first cars of the initial 100-car order arrived in San Francisco in 1978; Boston had been running the cars since 1976 and by 1978, MBTA was already returning 35 cars for manufacturing defects. After receipt of the first cars, MBTA forced Boeing to make 70 to 80 modifications on each car. Boeing ended up paying {{US$|40000000|1976}} in damages to Boston. The purchase price for each car was {{US$|333000|1978}}.

The federal government offered to provide 80% of the funds for design and production of the USSLRV in exchange for a commitment to keep the cars in service for at least 25 years, but the cars, as-delivered, were prone to jammed doors, defective brakes and motors, leaky roofs, mechanical breakdowns, and were involved in several accidents. Muni Metro added 30 more cars to the fleet; these 30 had been rejected by MBTA after suffering numerous breakdowns.

In 1982, the Boeing cars averaged only {{convert|600|mi}} between breakdowns; by 1988 this had improved to {{convert|1800|to|2000|mi}} between breakdowns. In 1998, Rudy Nothenberg, president of the Public Transportation Commission, said the Boeing cars were "impossible to maintain and [...] have many, many design flaws;" that same year, Muni was only able to supply 66–72 working cars for rush-hour service instead of the required 99 cars, resulting in system delays.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Fundamental-Flaws-Derail-Hopes-of-Improving-Muni-2989206.php |title=Fundamental Flaws Derail Hopes of Improving Muni |first=Carl |last=Nolte |date=September 21, 1998 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 17, 2017}} Despite the shortcomings of the USSLRV design, these cars constituted the entire light rail fleet until 1996, when new Breda-manufactured cars were put into service,{{cite news |last=Nolte |first=Carl |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stylish-New-Streetcars-Ready-to-Roll-S-F-Muni-2956393.php |title=Stylish New Streetcars Ready to Roll |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=December 10, 1996 |access-date=February 14, 2009}} replacing Boeing cars as they were accepted for service. By 1998, the 136-car Muni Metro fleet consisted of 57 Boeing Vertol cars and 79 Breda cars.

Two Boeing cars were preserved for potential donation to the San Francisco Railway Museum, but have since been scrapped;{{cite news |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/last-munis-1980s-era-clunker-trains-will-scrapped/ |title=Last of Muni's 1980s-era clunker trains will be scrapped |first=Joe Fitzgerald |last=Rodriguez |date=March 31, 2016 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |access-date=January 24, 2017}} five were sold to the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority for the modest price of {{US$|200|2002}} to {{US$|500|2002}} each; one was acquired by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society in 2001, but the Society declined to take any more Boeing cars after experiencing several breakdowns. Boeing car no. 1258 has been on exhibit at the Western Railway Museum near Suisun City since its acquisition in 2002.{{cite web |url=http://www.wrm.org/visit/car-roster/passenger-cars/interurban/item/111-san-francisco-municipal-railway-1258 |title=San Francisco Municipal Railway 1258 |author= |date=May 5, 2011 |publisher=Western Railway Museum |access-date=January 18, 2017}}

File:Inbound train at Taraval and 42nd Avenue, June 2018.JPG LRV on L Taraval at 42nd Avenue]]

The first of four prototypes of the new Breda cars was delivered in January 1995.{{cite news |editor-last=Wolinsky |editor-first=Julian |title=Commuter [transit-news section] |magazine=Passenger Train Journal |publisher=Pentrex |date=March 1995 |pages=12–13}} After delivery of additional cars and training of operators, the cars began to enter service on December 10, 1996. They were the most expensive street railway vehicles built to-date, at a cost of {{US$|2000000|1996}} each, and they were assembled at Pier 80. After suffering initial breakdowns{{cite news |last1=Epstein |first1=Edward |last2=Lynem |first2=Julie N. |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Brown-Descends-To-Take-Hellish-Journey-on-Muni-2994772.php |title=Brown Descends To Take Hellish Journey on Muni |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=August 29, 1998 |access-date=February 14, 2009}} and despite facing complaints of noise and vibrations,{{cite news |last=Epstein |first=Edward |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Streetcar-Racket-Figures-in-Contract-Consultant-2818671.php |title=Streetcar Racket Figures in Contract |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=July 9, 1997 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/U-S-to-Pay-for-59-Streetcars-For-Muni-From-2987333.php |title=U.S. to Pay for 59 Streetcars For Muni From Italy's Breda |first=Edward |last=Epstein |date=October 6, 1998 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}} the Bredas gradually replaced the Boeings, with the last Boeing car being retired in 2002. Residents along streetcar lines complained the new Breda cars would screech during acceleration and deceleration and their {{convert|80000|lb|adj=on}} weight, {{convert|10000|lb}} heavier than the Boeing cars, was blamed for vibration issues. At one point in 1998, 12 Breda cars were unavailable for service due to door problems. Faulty couplers on the Breda cars have been blamed for reduced train capacity, as multiple cars are not able to be coupled together as intended.{{cite magazine |url=http://modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/can-12-billion-fleet-of-new-trains-finally-save-muni |title=Can a $1.2{{nbsp}}Billion Fleet of New Trains Finally Save Muni? |first=Joe |last=Eskenazi |date=October 2, 2015 |magazine=San Francisco Magazine |access-date=January 18, 2017}}

Muni originally ordered 35 cars from Breda in 1991, and exercised options to add another 116 cars throughout the 1990s, including an option to purchase another 15 cars in 1999.{{cite web |url=http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/cmta/documents/2-19-13item10.3bredacontractcloseout.pdf |title=Requesting authorization for the Director of Transportation to execute a Closeout and Settlement Agreement with AnsaldoBreda SpA for Contract No. 309, Procurement of Light Rail Vehicles |date=February 11, 2013 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=27 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227230507/http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/cmta/documents/2-19-13item10.3bredacontractcloseout.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2018}}{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Muni-Investing-in-More-Breda-Streetcars-2934894.php |title=Muni Investing in More Breda Streetcars |first=Edward |last=Epstein |date=April 22, 1999 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}} The fleet had 151 LRVs in 2014, all made by Breda.{{cite news |url=http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2013/09/17/new-ride-coming-to-muni-metro/ |title=New ride coming to Muni Metro |first=Michael |last=Cabanatuan |date=September 17, 2013 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}} The double-ended cars are {{convert|75|ft|m}} long, {{convert|9|ft|m}} wide, {{convert|11|ft|m}} high, have graffiti-resistant windows, and contain an air-conditioning system to maintain a temperature of {{convert|72|F|C}} inside the car.{{cite news |last=Salter |first=Stephanie |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Beefy-but-they-whine-3139298.php |title=Beefy, but they whine |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |date=January 26, 1997 |access-date=February 15, 2009}} The Breda cars feature four doors per car, versus three for the Boeing (only the middle two doors of the Boeing cars were available while in the tunnels due to the cars' end curvature). The initial batch of 136 Breda cars were ordered on contracts exceeding {{US$|320000000|1999}}, for an average per-car cost of {{US$|2350000|1999}}; the option of 15 additional cars was exercised on a contract worth {{US$|42300000|1999}}, making the last batch of 15 cars {{US$|2600000|1999}} each.

By 2011, the fleet of Breda LRVs was only able to manage a mean distance between failures (MDBF) of {{convert|617|mi}}.{{cite report |url=http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/6-3-14%20Item%2011%20Benchmarking%20presentation_0.pdf#page=15 |title=City Services Benchmarking: Public Transportation |first1=Peg |last1=Stevenson |first2=Joe |last2=Lapka |date=June 3, 2014 |publisher=City Services Auditor, Office of the Controller, City & County of San Francisco |pages=15–17 |access-date=25 September 2019}}{{cite news |first=Aaron |last=Bialick |date=June 5, 2014 |title=Muni's Abysmal Breakdown Rate: One Reason SF Needs a Vehicle License Fee |work=Streetsblog SF |url=https://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/06/05/munis-absymal-breakdown-rate-one-reason-sf-needs-a-vehicle-license-fee/ |access-date=25 September 2019}}

The last LRV2 was retired on 12/12/2023.{{Cite report |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/2014%20Transit%20Fleet%20Management%20Plan_Web.pdf |title=2014 SFMTA Transit Fleet Management Plan |date=March 2014 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=18 December 2018}}{{cite magazine |last=McKinney |first=Kevin |date=August 2024 |title=Rush Hour [transit news section] |magazine=Passenger Train Journal |publisher=White River Productions, Inc. |page=64 |volume=48 |issue=3 – Third quarter 2024 |issn=0160-6913}}

{{main|Siemens S200}}

File:Inbound N Judah train boarding at 48th Avenue, September 2019.JPG

File:Muni Siemens S200 Interior.jpg

With the Breda cars growing increasingly unreliable and the system expanding with the construction of the Central Subway, Muni requested bids for a new generation of light rail vehicles. Muni prequalified CAF, Kawasaki and Siemens to bid on the request while Breda was disqualified based on a ranking of potential bidders.

The contract was awarded to Siemens for the purchase of up to 260 cars to be delivered in three phases: the initial firm order of 24 cars would accommodate the Central Subway; the next firm order of 151 cars would replace all of the Breda vehicles and an option to purchase up to 85 additional cars, funding permitting, to accommodate projected ridership growth through 2040.{{cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=July 16, 2014 |title=$1.2{{nbsp}}billion contract OKd for new Muni Metro light-rail cars|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc.|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1-2-billion-contract-OKd-for-new-Muni-Metro-5623934.php|access-date=July 17, 2014}} A grant of $41{{nbsp}}million from the California Transportation Agency awarded on July 2, 2015, allowed Muni to purchase 40 additional Siemens light rail vehicles.{{cite news |last1=Chinn |first1=Jerold |date=July 2, 2015 |title=Muni secures $41{{nbsp}}million for new Metro trains|url=http://sfbay.ca/2015/07/02/muni-secures-41-million-for-new-metro-trains/|access-date=July 2, 2015}}

Upon awarding the contract, Muni officials cited several lessons learned from the prior Breda contract, including not buying enough cars, dictating too much of the design, lax reliability requirements and a failure to account for maintenance costs. The {{US$|648000000|2014}} contract for 175 cars (the first two phases) was signed by Mayor Ed Lee in September 2014, making the cost of each car approximately {{US$|3700000|2014}}.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mayor-signs-deal-for-new-fleet-of-Muni-Metro-5767965.php |title=Mayor signs deal for new fleet of Muni Metro railcars |first=Michael |last=Cabanatuan |date=September 20, 2014 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}

Muni ultimately purchased 249 vehicles: the 175 cars from the first two phases, 44 additional cars,{{cite report |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2019/11/11-19-19_item_12_contract_modification_-_lrv4_-_slide_presentation.pdf |title=LRV4 Project Update |first=Julie |last=Kirschbaum |date=November 19, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=9 December 2019}} and surplus 30 cars were contracted in 2021.

Siemens has named the new Muni cars the S200 SF while the SFMTA refers to them as the LRV4. They operate at speeds of up to {{convert|50|mph}}.{{cite web |url=http://preview.thenewsmarket.com/Previews/SIMS/DocumentAssets/346338.pdf |title=S200 SF Light Rail Vehicle |author= |date=May 2015 |publisher=Siemens Industry, Inc.; Rolling Stock Division |access-date=January 18, 2017}} The S200 SF is {{convert|75|ft}} long, {{convert|8|ft|8.32|in|sigfig=3}} wide, {{convert|11|ft|6|in}} high (with the pantograph locked down), and weighs {{convert|78,770|lb}}, making it comparable in size and weight to the existing Breda cars. The expected maximum capacity is 203 passengers per car. They are expected to have the same coupling device as the Breda cars; however, the new Siemens trains can couple up to five cars at a time. The new S200 SF vehicles are projected to be able to run {{convert|59000|mi}} between maintenance intervals. Initially, the new cars had a mean distance between failures (MDBF) of {{convert|3300|mi}} shortly after being delivered; by August 2019, the MDBF had improved to {{convert|8000|mi}}.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/new-muni-trains-breaking-down-far-less-often/ |title=New Muni trains breaking down far less often |first=Joe Fitzgerald |last=Rodriguez |date=September 24, 2019 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |access-date=25 September 2019}}

Siemens publicly unveiled a full-size mockup of the S200 SF in San Francisco on June 16, 2015.{{cite web |last1=Vantuono |first1=William C. |date=June 16, 2015 |title=Siemens S200 SF previews in San Francisco; more LRVs ordered |url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/light-rail/siemens-s200-sf-previews-in-san-francisco-more-lrvs-ordered.html |access-date=August 27, 2015 |website=Railway Age}} The first car was delivered from the Siemens plant in Sacramento to San Francisco on January 13, 2017. A test car passed a CPUC regulatory inspection in early November 2017 and car #2006 was the first LRV to enter revenue service on November 17, 2017, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Duboce and Church.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/New-muni-train-san-francisco-quieter-space-12366662.php |title=New Muni train, designed to be quieter and more spacious, hit San Francisco streets |first=Michelle |last=Robertson |date=November 17, 2017 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=December 7, 2017}}

The first 68 cars were used to expand the Muni fleet to 219 cars and once the fleet reached that total in October 2019, Breda cars would be retired as new Siemens cars are accepted.{{cite news |first=Walter |last=Thompson |date=May 18, 2016 |title=These new Muni Metro cars should be ready to roll next year |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/local/article/These-new-Muni-metro-cars-may-be-ready-to-roll-7645871.php |access-date=January 18, 2017}}

It is expected that deliveries of cars will continue through 2028.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/First-in-a-fleet-of-new-Muni-Metro-car-arrives-in-10856325.php |title=First in fleet of new Muni Metro car arrives in San Francisco |first=Steve |last=Rubenstein |date=January 13, 2017 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}

File:Muni Metro faregates at Embarcadero station, November 2018.jpg

Muni Metro runs from approximately 5 am to 1 am weekdays, with later start times of 7 am on Saturday and 8 am on Sunday.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/metro.htm#metro |title=Muni Metro Service |access-date=January 20, 2007 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}} Owl service, or late-night service, is provided along much of the L and N lines by buses that bear the same route designation.

The cash fare for Muni Metro, like Muni buses, effective January 1, 2020, is $3 for adults and $1.50 for seniors, and the disabled, and free for youths 5–19. Clipper and MuniMobile fares are lower than cash fares. Their fares are $2.50 for adults. For all people under 20 service is free.{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/fares |title = Fares {{!}} SFMTA| date=May 2, 2017 }}

Muni currently operates a Free Muni for Seniors program that provides low- and moderate-income seniors residing in San Francisco free access to all Muni transit services, including Muni's cable cars. Free Muni is open to all San Francisco senior Clipper card holders, ages 65 and over, with a gross annual family income at or below 100 percent of the Bay Area median income level (qualifying income levels are posted on the program's web page). Enrollment is not automatic. To participate in the program, a qualified senior must have or obtain a Clipper card and submit an application either online or by mail.

Like Muni buses, the Muni Metro operates on a proof-of-payment system;{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/pop.htm |title=Proof of Payment |access-date=February 14, 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=February 4, 2008}} on paying a fare, the passenger will receive a ticket good for travel on any bus, historic streetcar, or Metro vehicle for 120 minutes.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/basic.htm |title=Fares and Sales |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205164006/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/basic.htm|archive-date=2007-02-05|url-status=dead |access-date=June 27, 2017}} Payment methods depend on boarding location. On surface street sections in the south and west of the city, passengers must board at the front of the train and pay their fare to the train operator to receive their ticket; those who already have a ticket, or who have a daily, weekly, or monthly pass, can board at any door of the Metro streetcar. Subway stations have controlled entries via faregates, and passengers usually purchase or show Muni staff a ticket in order to enter the platform area. Faregates closest to an unmanned Muni staff booth open automatically if a passenger has a valid pass or transfer that cannot be scanned. Muni's fare inspectors may board trains at any time to check for proof of payment from passengers.

All cars are also equipped with Clipper card readers near each entrance, which riders may use to tag their cards to pay their fare. The cards themselves are then used as proof of payment; fare inspectors carry handheld card readers that can verify that payment was made. In subway stations, riders instead tag their cards on the faregates to gain access to the platforms.

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• Market Street Railway and other rail lines operated by MUNI:
• E Embarcadero line
• F Market & Wharves line
• San Francisco cable car system
• SelTrac, the automated train system used in the Market Street subway
• Light rail in the United States
• Streetcars in North America
• List of United States light rail systems by ridership
• List of North American light rail systems by ridership
• List of California railroads
• List of tram and light rail transit systems

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• [http://www.sfog.us/sfmuni.htm Muni Metro performance statistics]
• [http://sfmunicentral.com/Enterprise/MetroLO.htm – Live display of trains in the subway]

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{{North American legacy streetcar systems}}

{{California railroads}}

Category:Muni Metro

Category:San Francisco Municipal Railway

Category:Light rail in California

Category:Passenger rail transportation in California

Category:Public transportation in San Francisco

Category:600 V DC railway electrification

Category:1980 establishments in California