L Taraval

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L Taraval
Two inbound L Taraval trains in 2017
Overview
StatusSuspended, replaced by buses, for road improvement project
OwnerSan Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
LocaleSan Francisco, California
TerminiWawona and 46th Avenue (SF Zoo)
Embarcadero station
Stations27
Service
TypeLight rail/streetcar
SystemMuni Metro
Operator(s)San Francisco Municipal Railway
Rolling stockBreda LRV2/LRV3, Siemens LRV4
Daily ridership33,000 (2019)[1]
History
OpenedApril 12, 1919 (1919-04-12)[2]
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead lines, 600 V DC
Route diagram

UpperLeft arrow Bay Area Rapid Transit | Up arrow N Judah T Third Street
Left arrow F Market & Wharves | J Church K Ingleside M Ocean View S Shuttle
Embarcadero
San Francisco Ferry Building Bay Area Rapid Transit
Montgomery
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Powell
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Civic Center
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Van Ness
Church
Castro
F Market & Wharves
to surface tracks on
Market Street (closed 1982)
Eureka Valley
closed
1972
Forest Hill
West Portal
S Shuttle T Third Street
Ulloa and Forest Side
Ulloa and 15th Avenue
closed
2017
Taraval and 15th Avenue
Taraval and 17th Avenue
Taraval and 19th Avenue
Taraval and 22nd Avenue /
Taraval and 23rd Avenue
Taraval and 26th Avenue
Taraval and 28th Avenue
closed
2017
Taraval and 30th Avenue
Taraval and 32nd Avenue
Taraval and 35th Avenue
closed
2018
Taraval and Sunset
Taraval and 40th Avenue
Taraval and 42nd Avenue
Taraval and 44th Avenue
46th Avenue and Taraval /
Taraval and 46th Avenue
46th Avenue and Ulloa
46th Avenue and Vicente
Wawona and 46th Avenue

The L Taraval is a light rail line of the Muni Metro system in San Francisco, California. The line is currently not operating and replaced by buses through the end of 2024 for reconstruction along Taraval Street.

Route description[change | change source]

The line begins at Wawona and 46th Avenue station (near the San Francisco Zoo), which is on a one-way loop on Vicente Street, 47th Avenue, Wawona Street, and 46th Avenue. It runs north on 46th Avenue to Taraval Street, then runs east on Taraval Street to 15th Avenue. The line then runs south one block on 15th Avenue, then east on Ulloa Street to West Portal station, where it tags along with all the other Muni Metro lines towards Embarcadero station.

Operation[change | change source]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the L Taraval operates 7 days a week, with train service beginning at 5 a.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. Sundays and running until 12:30 a.m.

History[change | change source]

The original end of the L Taraval line, before the L Taraval went south towards SF Zoo, with tracks still in place, but not normally used. Trains are usually sent here to turn back early.

Muni's L Taraval line opened as a shuttle from West Portal to 33rd Avenue on April 12, 1919. It went further west along Taraval Street to 48th Avenue at Ocean Beach on January 14, 1923; that October 15, the shuttle service was replaced with larger streetcars running through to the Ferry Building.[3] The L Taraval went south (turning off Taraval at 46th) to the San Francisco Zoo, the line's current outer terminus, on September 15, 1937.[4] Every other streetcar line was routed to the new Transbay Terminal on January 15, 1939; they went back to the Ferry Building on January 1, 1941, but the Transbay Terminal became the inner terminal for all streetcars on June 6, 1948.[3]

Light rail operation[change | change source]

The L switched to light rail operations as part of the opening of the Muni Metro system in 1980.[4] While many streetcar lines switched to buses operations after World War II, the L Taraval remained a streetcar line due to its use of the Twin Peaks Tunnel.

L Taraval Improvement Project[change | change source]

The L Taraval Improvement Project, originally called the L Taraval Rapid project, was to improve street safety and speed up trains.[5] L Taraval Improvement Project construction began in August 2019.[6][7] In September 2019, construction on the first phase of the project began. It took place between Sunset Blvd and 46th Avenue. The first phase was completed in July 2021.[8] The second phase began in January 2022, with the second phase of the construction project taking place from Sunset Blvd to Ulloa St near West Portal station. This phase is expected to last through 2024.[9]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Short Range Transit Plan: Fiscal Year 2019 - Fiscal Year 2030" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. December 2019. p. 47.
  2. Demery, Jr., Leroy W. (November 2011). "U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980" (PDF). publictransit.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Stindt, Fred A. (October 1990). San Francisco's Century of Street Cars. p. 119, 192. ISBN 0961546514.
  4. 4.0 4.1 McKane, John; Perles, Anthony (1982). Inside Muni: The Properties and Operations of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco. Glendale, CA (US): Interurban Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-916374-49-1.
  5. Rodriguez, Joe Fitzgerald (20 September 2016). "SFMTA approves controversial L-Taraval changes in name of safety". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. "L Taraval Improvement Project Work Forecast Aug. 26 - Sept.6, 2019" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. August 26, 2019.
  7. "SFMTA Weekend Transit and Traffic Advisory For Saturday, August 17, 2019" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. August 15, 2019.
  8. "L Taraval Improvement Project Reaches Key Milestone" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. July 9, 2021.
  9. Chun, Stephen (December 9, 2021). "L Taraval Improvement Project "Segment B" Geared Up for Early 2022" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Other websites[change | change source]