Third Street rail on track for January run
More info on Examiner.com today about the scheduled opening of the Third Street MUNI line...
Muni plans to open the rail with limited free service on the weekends as a way to test it. The rail will run between Sunnydale Avenue and the Castro station [note: I don't see anything about the Castro station in any MUNI material... The map to the left looks more like the EVENTUAL Phase 2 destination is Chinatown to me...][note #2: see the comments below... turns out it might actually be going to the Castro in place of the Castro Shuttle].In doing a bit further reading on the project today, I see that this announcement will likely only cover what MUNI is referring to as Phase 1, with the second portion extending to Stockton and Clay via an underground tunnel which would begin at Bryant Street. From SFMUNI.com,
In April 2007, Muni is expected to open the complete 5.4-mile rail line with full seven-day service. It will provide service along Third Street, beginning at the Caltrain Depot at Fourth and King streets running to the intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and Sunnydale Avenue in Visitacion Valley. The rail passes through the Bayview and Hunters Point neighborhoods.
Come April, one car will roll along the rails every nine minutes during morning and afternoon peak hours. The cars will arrive every 12 minutes in the evening and every 20 minutes at night until 1 a.m. [more...]
• Phase 1 will extend Muni Metro light rail service south from its current terminal at Fourth and King Streets. The line will cross the Fourth Street Bridge and run along Third Street and Bayshore Boulevard, ending at the Bayshore CalTrain Station in Visitacion Valley. Tracks will be constructed primarily in the center of the street to improve safety and reliability and 19 stops will be provided. This phase of the light rail project is expected to open for service in 2006 [guess this should read January 2007, eh?].The end result here is that we'll have transportation from Little Hollywood (near Candlestick "Monster" Park and the new housing at Candlestick Point) right into SOMA.
• Phase 2 will extend light rail service north from King Street along Third Street, entering a new Central Subway near Bryant Street, crossing beneath Market Street and running under Geary and Stockton Streets to Stockton and Clay Streets. Underground subway stations will be located at Moscone Center, Market Street, Union Square and Clay Street in Chinatown. Muni and the City are actively pursuing funding for the Central Subway. [and that funding probably won't see the light of day in D6 until Chris Daly loses his Supervisor's seat in November]
• A new Metro East Operating and Maintenance Facility will be built on approximately 13 acres at 25th and Illinois Streets to store, maintain and dispatch light rail vehicles.
Can you say 'transit villages'? I sure hope the Supervisors and the Planning Department can...
Third Street Light Rail: Overview [SFMUNI.com]
3rd Street light rail testing now, official launch April 7th [SFHomeBlog]
Third Street Rail Service Still Almost a Year Away [SFHomeBlog]
Visitation Valley vs. Ingersoll Rand [SFHomeBlog]
Image from SFMUNI.com
posted by Matt Lanning @ 6:54 PM
6 comments
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6 Comments:
Matt,
Re: The Castro, that's a recent change--the "T-Third Street" will run up Bayshore, Third, King and the Embarcadero (with that little jog to Caltrain), and then into the Market Street subway as far as Castro. It'll replace the "S" shuttle at rush hour.
Of course you wouldn't know this from the Muni website, which seems to update on an annual basis.
Oh, I should add to that: The J will run out to Caltrain at rush hour, and the N will be pulled back to the Embarcadero. If and when the Central Subway comes online, the T would use that, obviously, so the Embarcadero-to-Castro routing is interim.
Steve, thanks for the update!! That's a great addition to the information from MUNI!
Yay! As a resident of Little Hollywood, I'm excited about the transportation changes...it's about time!
Any feedback on how loud these trains get?
Having just driven around Little Hollywood today to see how far away the MUNI terminus is from Caltrain, etc, I can say that you'll never know they are there... Unless you live at the very northern edge of the neighborhood, right on Third Street.
For those that currently live on the N-Judah, J-Church, or similar line, perhaps you can share your experiences with Voodoo Child...
And for those that aren't familiar with Little Hollywood, you'll see it on the MUNI map attached to this post. It's between Candlestick (Monster) Park and the Caltrain station.
I live on Judah street and the trains can be heard but I got used to them very quickly. Depending on how old the construction of your building you may get some vibration when they pass. You get used to that as well. Personally, I enjoy being close to the MUNI trains. Its convenient and out in the Sunset is a reminder of the urban city.
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