Central Subway
Encyclopedia
The Central Subway is an extension of the Muni Metro
light rail system in San Francisco
, California
, from the Caltrain
commuter rail depot at 4th and King streets to Chinatown. The subway
is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project. Ground was broken for the new route on February 9, 2010, and is currently scheduled for completion by 2019.
. The route will then continue under Fourth Street through South of Market
, and have an underground station at the Moscone Center
. At Market Street, the subway will dip below the Market Street Subway and there will be another underground station serving Market Street and Union Square
underneath Stockton Street. This combined Market Street/Union Square station will have entrances at the Market, Ellis and Stockton intersection, and at Stockton and Geary, and will have a pedestrian passage connecting it to the Muni Metro
and BART
Powell Street Station
. North of there, the subway will continue under Stockton with a station located in Chinatown
at Stockton and Washington Streets. The tunnel will then continue north on Stockton, but there are no station plans as of March 2011. The tunnel boring machine
is scheduled to come above ground nearby on Columbus Avenue around 2014.
In the future, the line may terminate in North Beach
or extend to Fisherman's Wharf
.
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
light rail system in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, from the Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
commuter rail depot at 4th and King streets to Chinatown. The subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project. Ground was broken for the new route on February 9, 2010, and is currently scheduled for completion by 2019.
Alignment
In February 2008, the Municipal Transportation Agency board voted to select Alternative Alignment 3B for the subway. In this alignment, trains will travel north on Fourth Street, stop at an above-ground station at Fourth and Brannan, and enter the subway through a portal on Fourth between Bryant and Harrison Streets, under Interstate 80Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
. The route will then continue under Fourth Street through South of Market
South of Market, San Francisco, California
South of Market is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States.-Name and location:Its boundaries are Market Street to the northwest, San Francisco Bay to the northeast, Mission Creek to the southeast, and Division Street, 13th Street and U.S. Route 101 to the southwest...
, and have an underground station at the Moscone Center
Moscone Center
Moscone Center is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, and a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street...
. At Market Street, the subway will dip below the Market Street Subway and there will be another underground station serving Market Street and Union Square
Union Square, San Francisco, California
Union Square is a plaza of bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets in San Francisco, California. "Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks. The area got its name because it was once used for rallies and...
underneath Stockton Street. This combined Market Street/Union Square station will have entrances at the Market, Ellis and Stockton intersection, and at Stockton and Geary, and will have a pedestrian passage connecting it to the Muni Metro
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
and BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
Powell Street Station
Powell Street Station
Powell Street Station is a Muni Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit station near the intersection of Market Street and Powell Street in downtown San Francisco, California. The station is located along the Market Street Subway and extends underground from Fourth Street to Fifth Street. Hallidie Plaza...
. North of there, the subway will continue under Stockton with a station located in Chinatown
Chinatown, San Francisco, California
San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Since its establishment in 1848, it has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants to the United States and North America...
at Stockton and Washington Streets. The tunnel will then continue north on Stockton, but there are no station plans as of March 2011. The tunnel boring machine
Tunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through anything from hard rock to sand. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
is scheduled to come above ground nearby on Columbus Avenue around 2014.
In the future, the line may terminate in North Beach
North Beach, San Francisco, California
North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco's Little Italy, and has historically been home to a large Italian American population. It still holds many Italian restaurants today, though...
or extend to Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street...
.
Status
October 2011: In San Francisco the local sponsor of the project is proceeding with the design, utility relocation and property acquisition needed to build the Central Subway. However the federal government has not as yet approved the Municipal Transportation Agency's request that $942million in federal New Starts funds be allocated to the project. The matter is currently under consideration by the United States Congress.Cost
Due to the capital cost ($1.578 billion for the 1.7 mile light rail line), the Central Subway project has come under criticism from transit activists for what they consider to be poor cost-effectiveness. In particular, they note that Muni's own estimates show that the project would increase Muni ridership by less than 1% and yet by 2030 be adding $15.2 million a year to Muni's annual operating deficit.External links
- Central Subway Overview. SFMTA.com
- SFCTA Central Subway
- Alternatives. SFMTA.com.
- Purpose. SFMTA.com.
- Affected Environment. SFMTA.com.
- Chinatown Report. SF Chronicle. June 22, 2007.
- Central Subway. Fog City Journal.
- Push For Chinatown Central Subway. Amy Hollyfield, ABC (KGO-TV). March 20, 2007.
- Central Subway an Alternate Proposal. RescueMuni.org.
- "S.F. must stop Central Subway from being built", August 18, 2011, San Francisco Chronicle
- http://www.savemuni.com