This conceptual drawing from around 1960 shows the combined BART and Muni Metro subway underneath Market Street at Powell. (Photograph and Caption Courtesy of SFMTA)
Commentary

Celebrating BART at 50: A Critical Link for San Francisco

In September, our sister agency San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, celebrated its 50th anniversary. BART service changed transportation in the Bay Area forever, connecting communities in a way that hadn’t been done before. For San Francisco, the construction of BART not only provided new travel options within the city and to the East Bay, but also built the Muni Metro system.

Starting Nov. 19, the Central Subway will open with dedicated shuttle service on weekends. (SFMTA via Twitter)

Service on SFMTA’s New T Third Line Extension to Begin November

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) on Sept. 20 announced that, beginning Nov. 19, a soft launch of the Central Subway Project, an extension of the T Third Line, will open with dedicated shuttle service on weekends between 4th and Brannan Station to Chinatown/Rose Park Station, stopping along the way at Yerba Buena and Union Square where passengers can make transfers to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service and the Market Street subway.

Transit Briefs: MARTA, MBTA, Metra, Muni, NYMTA, TransLink, UTA

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) supports National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 20). Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) issues a Student Edition of its Rider’s Guide; Chicago’s Metra extends its $100 flat-rate monthly pass through year-end; San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) remains “optimistic” about Muni’s Central Subway extension opening in 2022; New York MTA trains and buses are now “mask optional” for riders; Metro Vancouver’s TransLink launches “Back-to-School, Back-to-Transit” campaign; and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) provides free transit passes to all K-12 students, faculty and staff in the Salt Lake City School District.

Amtrak, in conjunction with the Washington State DOT, Oregon DOT, VIA Rail Canada and other federal agencies, will restart service to Vancouver via Cascades on Sept. 26. (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, CTA, Gateway, LACMTA, SFMTA/Muni, SMART, VIA Rail

Amtrak Cascades service to Vancouver, B.C., is resuming this month. Also, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released a combined Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Record of Decision (ROD) for Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension Project; the Gateway rail tunnel project price tag has risen to $16.1 billion, with a new construction start-date of 2024; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has expanded its student fareless pass program; San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has launched the MuniSafe campaign; Northern California’s Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) marked its fifth anniversary last month; and VIA Rail Canada has released its second-quarter 2022 report.

The Sacramento region has secured nearly $50 million in CalSTA TIRCP (Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program) grants for Sacramento Valley Station and transit improvement projects. (Rendering Courtesy of Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority)

CalSTA Allocates $378.9MM for Rail Transit Projects

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) are among the eight California agencies that will share $378.9 million in TIRCP (Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program) grants from CalSTA (California State Transportation Agency) for rail-related projects.

The proposed Muni bond would have focused on “maintaining the system’s equipment and facilities, providing quick and convenient transit access, ensuring Muni service is inclusive and accessible for all, and making street safety improvements for people walking and biking.”

San Francisco Voters Reject Muni Bond

The $400 million Muni Reliability and Street Safety Bond, Proposition A, has been voted down, the San Francisco (Calif.) Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) reported on June 21.

The proposed Muni bond would focus on “maintaining the system’s equipment and facilities, providing quick and convenient transit access, ensuring Muni service is inclusive and accessible for all, and making street safety improvements for people walking and biking,” according the Office of San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

On the San Francisco Ballot: $400MM Muni Bond

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Feb. 15 voted to place a $400 million Muni Reliability and Street Safety Bond on the June 2022 ballot; the measure requires 2/3 voter approval, according to the mayor’s office.

Mishap Mars Return of Iconic Muni Cable Cars

San Francisco’s unique and historic cable cars returned to the streets of the City by the Bay on Sept. 4, but an incident at their barn shut them down six days later.

MBTA, OCTA: $1B in ARP Grants for COVID-19 Response

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 grants for COVID-19 response to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, $859.6 million) and Orange County (Calif.) Transportation Authority (OCTA, $163.9 million).

Transit Briefs: SEPTA, SFMTA, WMATA

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is proposing a new name for its rapid transit and trolley lines, as well as new letters and colors to represent them. In addition, late night subway service will return in October for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA); and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) on Sept. 7 reopened four Green and Yellow line stations following summer reconstruction work.

LOAD MORE