SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA | Public Transport

[quashlo]

Except that BART doesn't run inner- and outer-suburban services separately. They do a few "turnback"-style services between Montgomery or 24th Street / Mission in San Francisco and some of the outer stations on the Pittsburg / Bay Point line (e.g., Pleasant Hill, Concord, etc.), but nothing that is directly analogous to an inner- vs. outer-suburban dynamic. Keep in mind that there is also a fair amount of uncoupling and recoupling due to variability in train lengths across lines and time periods, so maintaining a uniform car design is desirable from the standpoint of operational flexibility.

With the upcoming fleet replacement in the near future, they will eventually (finally) switch to three-door cars, which will naturally create more standee space surrounding door areas and less seats, but don't expect a drastic change in the seating type... It will most likely remain primarily transverse seating.

[quashlo]

Originally Posted by trainrover

Good. Any clue as to service intervals, frequency?

The environmental review and financial analysis of the project assumes ferry headways as low as 15 min during the weekday peak, less frequent during other times of the day and on weekends.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by trainrover

What? along with (possibly dedicated) express tracks? Just what must Bay-area transit advocates be pushing? because nothing necessitates linking those two urban centres over there with a zuped-up metro. I presume the speediness of BART EMUs would make linking the two centres feasible, although linking the two could most definitely be done far better along conventional and thus cheaper means. BART belongs in town (some helluva'n idea to be sending BART outta town )

I can your point being valid when it comes to the Livermore and East Contra Costa extensions, but the San Jose extension is a whole different animal. For one, it doesn't go through half-undeveloped exurban areas that the other two extensions do. Two, it's really the only politically possible way to get a high quality all-day service operating between the East Bay and the South Bay (Note: I AM NOT SAYING SAN FRANCISCO TO THE SOUTH BAY, nor will I argue that this extension is or should be built to capture that market.). And lastly, political winds in the region are already starting to change towards reorienting BART towards having more inner-city service, given that how the Oakland Airport connector is slowly moving towards being scrapped.

[manrush]

What of the eBART connector? Is that the new basis for any future suburban/regional BART extensions?

[FDW]

Originally Posted by manrush

What of the eBART connector? Is that the new basis for any future suburban/regional BART extensions?

I think it's being considered alongside conventional heavy rail for an extension north of Richmond, but other than that, not really. And besides, I hope that eBART technology or standard gauge rail won't be considered for use on any other future extensions of the system (for standardization's stake).

[bayviews]

Originally Posted by trainrover

What? along with (possibly dedicated) express tracks? Just what must Bay-area transit advocates be pushing? because nothing necessitates linking those two urban centres over there with a zuped-up metro. I presume the speediness of BART EMUs would make linking the two centres feasible, although linking the two could most definitely be done far better along conventional and thus cheaper means. BART belongs in town (some helluva'n idea to be sending BART outta town )

Its not at the top of my list of projects.

But given that the Bay Area's an interconnected region, would be good to have rail transit service connecting the 3 regional centers. We've already got Caltrain on the Penninsula. But would be good to connect Oakland & San Jose thru the East Bay.

Frankly I'd rather see more in the way of major regional connections, even if it means a bit less of some of these trivial, parochial hi cost, subway to nowhere, local extensions being pushed by a few of the local transit agencies.

[trainrover]

No bother, really; besides, I'd safely bet that your area's transport plans trump our own bogged-down ones

[FDW]

Originally Posted by trainrover

No bother, really; besides, I'd safely bet that your area's transport plans trump our own bogged-down ones

Are you kidding? Our plans have been repeatedly delayed and scaled down for BS reasons over the past 10 years whilst our bus service continues to deteriorate at an increasingly alarming pace. Our regions planners could use a good hard kick to the ass, especially in terms of ambition.

[trainrover]

No, I'm not (I wish I were...kidding...), although your 'rise-up-dem-busses-rise-up!' over there reminds me of comments I both here and read travelling our own puny public-transport network:

• How come dedicated passenger's rail off our radar?!?

[bayviews]

The Cablecars under repair just as the tourist season perks up.
Had all year to do this. Another great case of planning, muni-style!

Climbing halfway to the stars? You'll need a ride
Natalie Orenstein. San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, Calif.: Jun 2, 2011. pg. C.2

(C) San Francisco Chronicle 2011


San Francisco visitors might be left disappointed this weekend as each of the city's three cable car lines will be down for maintenance.

This is the third and final phase of closures for the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines, which will resume operation Monday. The California line, which has been down since January, "should be back in service by the end of the month," Muni spokesman Paul Rose said.

Would-be cable car passengers can ride shuttles, which cost $2 instead of the regular $5 fare, along the two Powell routes until Monday and along the California route until it is back in service. Muni employees are stationed at key points on both Powell lines.

The Cable Car Improvement Project, which is the agency's first major maintenance initiative in 27 years, will repair electrical and mechanical components of the cars, repave streets, install curb ramps at every intersection and repair sewers along the lines. The California line closure is part of a separate maintenance project.

"We put the word out that this would be happening in January," Rose said. "With each phase we put out a press release, we had signage in the cars, put out advertisements and contacted tourist agencies and held a number of community meetings starting early this year."

Despite the effort to alert residents and travelers ahead of time, plenty of tourists were surprised to find Muni employees and construction workers in place of cable cars.

Marco Heinzelmann is visiting from Germany and has spent the past few days sightseeing in the city. He arrived at the Powell and Market turntable Wednesday afternoon to visit Fisherman's Wharf. "I just wanted to be able to say I had been on a cable car in San Francisco at least once," he said.

[trainrover]

Originally Posted by bayviews

the regular $5 fare

[FDW]

Originally Posted by trainrover

It's only for the Cable Cars, the regular fare for MUNI is $2. (And people with monthly bus passes can board for free.)

[diablo234]

Do any San Francisco residents actually use the cable cars? It seems that it is mostly tourists that utilize them and everyone else either uses the Bus or Muni Metro to get around.

[quashlo]

Locals use it, but it depends on the time and where you are getting on. General rules are to never wait at the turnaround (just wait at any of the corner stops) and avoid midday, when the tourists are all out. This only applies to the two Powell lines, though... California line is always easy to get on any time of the day.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by quashlo

Locals use it, but it depends on the time and where you are getting on. General rules are to never wait at the turnaround (just wait at any of the corner stops) and avoid midday, when the tourists are all out. This only applies to the two Powell lines, though... California line is always easy to get on any time of the day.

Seconded. But despite being mostly tourist lines, the three Cable car lines still combine for more than 20,000 riders daily (Higher than most North American Light Rail systems when Ridership per mile is taken into account.).

[trainrover]

Is any part of the cable car network either covered by or excluded from monthly transit passes?

[FDW]

Originally Posted by trainrover

Is any part of the cable car network either covered by or excluded from monthly transit passes?

All of the Cable Car network is covered under monthly passes.

[spongeg]

you can buy multi-day passes - when me and my friends visited we bought 5 day muni passes and they included use of the cable cars

[bayviews]

Next stop

San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, Calif.: Jun 18, 2011. pg. A.9
(C) San Francisco Chronicle 2011

With quiet finality and a generous severance, San Francisco's transit agency is parting ways with director Nathaniel Ford. The departure sets the stage for what Muni needs next: a nimble expert and manager who can take heaps of plans and warring interest groups and give the city reliable transit choices.

Ford served dutifully, but it was clearly time for a change. He acknowledged as much by his own job-hunting efforts over the last year, notably a failed attempt to win an airport transportation job in Washington, D.C.

His exit here came after rough and angry negotiations with the Muni drivers union that resulted in an arbitration win on Monday for the city that should vastly improve work rules and save money.

Muni may be City Hall's biggest daily headache. It handles 700,000 riders a day, its cash-starved maintenance system leaves it prone to breakdowns, and it's an automatic conversation starter right up there with the Giants and restaurant tips. The executive director of the Municipal Transportation Agency is also in charge of traffic flow, pedestrian safety, bike routes and quick-to-rile cabbies.

The next director will be under the gun from several directions. Muni needs major work. Soothing the angry drivers will be one major assignment. So is finishing the job of remapping the city's bus routes, drawn in another era, while not upsetting riders.

Muni needs a new leader who can take an unruly, cash-starved urban necessity and turn it into a reliable part of city life. It's a big challenge, and one that eluded Ford.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by bayviews

Next stop

San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, Calif.: Jun 18, 2011. pg. A.9
(C) San Francisco Chronicle 2011

With quiet finality and a generous severance, San Francisco's transit agency is parting ways with director Nathaniel Ford. The departure sets the stage for what Muni needs next: a nimble expert and manager who can take heaps of plans and warring interest groups and give the city reliable transit choices.

Ford served dutifully, but it was clearly time for a change. He acknowledged as much by his own job-hunting efforts over the last year, notably a failed attempt to win an airport transportation job in Washington, D.C.

His exit here came after rough and angry negotiations with the Muni drivers union that resulted in an arbitration win on Monday for the city that should vastly improve work rules and save money.

Muni may be City Hall's biggest daily headache. It handles 700,000 riders a day, its cash-starved maintenance system leaves it prone to breakdowns, and it's an automatic conversation starter right up there with the Giants and restaurant tips. The executive director of the Municipal Transportation Agency is also in charge of traffic flow, pedestrian safety, bike routes and quick-to-rile cabbies.

The next director will be under the gun from several directions. Muni needs major work. Soothing the angry drivers will be one major assignment. So is finishing the job of remapping the city's bus routes, drawn in another era, while not upsetting riders.

Muni needs a new leader who can take an unruly, cash-starved urban necessity and turn it into a reliable part of city life. It's a big challenge, and one that eluded Ford.

I don't think that we should hire a local for the SFMTA director. Hell, I don't even think we should even consider hiring an American for the job, we should look abroad for someone who really knows how to run a transit system.