M Oceanview
Encyclopedia
The M Ocean View is a Muni Metro
line in San Francisco, California
. It was one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in the early 20th century, and was converted to modern light rail
operation with the creation of the Muni Metro system in the late 1970s. While many streetcar lines were converted to buses after World War II
, the M Ocean View remained a streetcar line due to its use of the Twin Peaks Tunnel
.
The outbound end of the line was originally at the intersection of Broad Street and Plymouth Avenue, but it was later extended to Balboa Park Station. Eureka Station
in the Twin Peaks Tunnel
was originally a stop on the M line, but the station was closed and replaced by Castro Street Station
when the Metro system opened.
in the Financial District
to Geneva Avenue and San Jose Avenue near City College of San Francisco
in the Balboa Park
neighborhood. The downtown portion of the line runs through the Market Street Subway, which it shares with the four other Muni Metro lines. It continues through the much older Twin Peaks Tunnel, along with the K Ingleside
and L Taraval
lines, emerging at West Portal Station
. From there, it follows West Portal Avenue to the Saint Francis Circle, where it then takes its own right-of-way
to 19th Avenue. The portion of the line on 19th Avenue
between where it joins 19th near Eucalyptus Drive and Junipero Serra Boulevard is a right-of-way separated from the street. This section has two stations with high-platforms, one at the Stonestown Galleria
on Winston Drive and the other
at San Francisco State University
on Holloway Avenue. It continues on 19th Avenue past Junipero Serra to Randolph Street. At the end of Randolph, the M uses Orizaba Avenue to get to Broad Street and takes that to San Jose Avenue. The rest of the line follows San Jose Avenue to Geneva Avenue, where the line loops around the Metro yard there.
The M Ocean View line stops at large stations for the downtown section of the route and on 19th Avenue and at smaller stops on the rest of the line. Most of the smaller stops are nothing more than a sign on the side of the street designating a stop and a few others are concrete 'islands' in the middle of the street next to the tracks that provide access for wheelchair
s. Muni bus routes provide service to all stations and other systems with access to the stations are noted.
service stops and the underground subway stations open.
. The MTA decided to discontinue all M Ocean View rail service for the duration of the project. Passengers were required to take K Ingleside
trains (which temporarily terminated at 14th Avenue) or L Taraval
trains and transfer to temporary shuttle bus service at West Portal.
M rail service was restored on Sept. 4, 2010.
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...
line in San Francisco, California
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...
. It was one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in the early 20th century, and was converted to modern light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
operation with the creation of the Muni Metro system in the late 1970s. While many streetcar lines were converted to buses after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the M Ocean View remained a streetcar line due to its use of the Twin Peaks Tunnel
Twin Peaks Tunnel
The Twin Peaks Tunnel is a long light rail transit/streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California, United States, running under Twin Peaks. When it was opened on February 3, 1918, it was one of the longest railway tunnels in the world . It was the longest U.S...
.
The outbound end of the line was originally at the intersection of Broad Street and Plymouth Avenue, but it was later extended to Balboa Park Station. Eureka Station
Eureka Station
The Eureka Valley Station was a streetcar station in San Francisco, California, from 1918 until 1972. It is located very close to the eastern end of the Twin Peaks Tunnel, in the Eureka Valley neighborhood...
in the Twin Peaks Tunnel
Twin Peaks Tunnel
The Twin Peaks Tunnel is a long light rail transit/streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California, United States, running under Twin Peaks. When it was opened on February 3, 1918, it was one of the longest railway tunnels in the world . It was the longest U.S...
was originally a stop on the M line, but the station was closed and replaced by Castro Street Station
Castro Street Station
Castro Street Station is a Muni Metro station at the intersection of Market Street, Castro Street, and 17th Street in The Castro district of San Francisco, California...
when the Metro system opened.
Route Description
The line runs from the Embarcadero StationEmbarcadero Station
Embarcadero is a BART and Muni Metro station in the Financial District of San Francisco. The easternmost stop on the Market Street Subway, Embarcadero acts as a major hub for passenger movement throughout the San Francisco Bay Area...
in the Financial District
Financial District, San Francisco, California
The Financial District is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, that serves as its main central business district. The nickname "FiDi" is occasionally employed, analogous to nearby SoMa.-Location:...
to Geneva Avenue and San Jose Avenue near City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco, or CCSF, is a two-year community college in San Francisco, California. The Ocean Avenue campus, in the Ingleside neighborhood, is the college's primary location...
in the Balboa Park
Balboa Park, San Francisco, California
Balboa Park is a neighborhood and public park in San Francisco, California. It was created in 1909 and parts of it were built over time. The neighborhood is located between Mission Street and Interstate 280 north of Geneva Avenue and the park is located on San Jose Avenue, north of Ocean Avenue...
neighborhood. The downtown portion of the line runs through the Market Street Subway, which it shares with the four other Muni Metro lines. It continues through the much older Twin Peaks Tunnel, along with the K Ingleside
K Ingleside
The K Ingleside is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, mainly serving the West Portal and Ingleside neighborhoods. It was one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in the early 20th century, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni Metro system in the...
and L Taraval
L Taraval
The L Taraval is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, mainly serving the Parkside District, an area which is immediately south of the Sunset District and which is regarded by some as the southern part of the Sunset District...
lines, emerging at West Portal Station
West Portal Station
West Portal Station is a Muni Metro station in the West Portal neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is built around the entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which connects with the Market Street Subway and runs through the city to the Embarcadero...
. From there, it follows West Portal Avenue to the Saint Francis Circle, where it then takes its own right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
to 19th Avenue. The portion of the line on 19th Avenue
19th Avenue (San Francisco)
19th Avenue in San Francisco, California, is a five-mile long, eight-lane arterial thoroughfare that bisects the southwestern part of the city....
between where it joins 19th near Eucalyptus Drive and Junipero Serra Boulevard is a right-of-way separated from the street. This section has two stations with high-platforms, one at the Stonestown Galleria
Stonestown Galleria
Stonestown Galleria is a shopping mall in San Francisco, California, anchored by Nordstrom, Macy's, and Ode Books, formerly Borders Books & Music...
on Winston Drive and the other
San Francisco State University Station
San Francisco State University Station is a major Muni Metro aboveground station located on the median of 19th Avenue at Holloway Avenue, near the station's namesake university. It is served by the M Ocean View line, which runs between Embarcadero Station and Balboa Park Station. Several Muni and...
at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
on Holloway Avenue. It continues on 19th Avenue past Junipero Serra to Randolph Street. At the end of Randolph, the M uses Orizaba Avenue to get to Broad Street and takes that to San Jose Avenue. The rest of the line follows San Jose Avenue to Geneva Avenue, where the line loops around the Metro yard there.
The M Ocean View line stops at large stations for the downtown section of the route and on 19th Avenue and at smaller stops on the rest of the line. Most of the smaller stops are nothing more than a sign on the side of the street designating a stop and a few others are concrete 'islands' in the middle of the street next to the tracks that provide access for wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s. Muni bus routes provide service to all stations and other systems with access to the stations are noted.
Operation
The M Ocean View begins service at 5 a.m. weekdays, 6 a.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. Sundays, with the end of service occurring around 12:30 a.m. each night. It operates a headway of 9 to 12 minutes during the day, and 15 to 20 minutes at night. There is no late night service along the entire M line, however part of the L Owl diesel bus line runs from West Portal Station to Market Street and Steuart Street, near Embarcadero Station, and the 91 Owl line operates on 19th Avenue. On Sunday mornings only, there is a M-Owl diesel bus line that runs on surface streets from Market Street and Steuart Street to Balboa Park between the times owlNight bus
A night bus service or owl service is a public transport bus service which operates through the night time hours. Many cities operate such services, either in addition to or in substitution for ordinary daytime bus services or rapid transit rail services which may shut for maintenance or due to...
service stops and the underground subway stations open.
St. Francis Circle Project
In May 2010, the San Francisco MTA began a major project to reconstruct and replace the rail junction at St. Francis CircleSt. Francis Circle
St. Francis Circle is a station on the San Francisco Municipal Railway light rail network's K Ingleside and M Ocean View lines. It is located in the St. Francis Wood neighborhood...
. The MTA decided to discontinue all M Ocean View rail service for the duration of the project. Passengers were required to take K Ingleside
K Ingleside
The K Ingleside is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, mainly serving the West Portal and Ingleside neighborhoods. It was one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in the early 20th century, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni Metro system in the...
trains (which temporarily terminated at 14th Avenue) or L Taraval
L Taraval
The L Taraval is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, mainly serving the Parkside District, an area which is immediately south of the Sunset District and which is regarded by some as the southern part of the Sunset District...
trains and transfer to temporary shuttle bus service at West Portal.
M rail service was restored on Sept. 4, 2010.