The Central Subway will close for more than two weeks starting Wednesday so crews can repair water leaks inside the Chinatown-Rose Pak station. The closure will last through March 14.
Transit officials said that because of not having crossover tracks to allow for trains to turn around at the Powell/Market Street station, the agency will need to temporarily suspend the entire Central Subway tunnel from Chinatown to Fourth and Brannan stations.
During the 17-day closure, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will run a Muni T bus shuttle to cover the Central Subway stops and some of the 30-Stockton bus stops, eventually ending at Fourth and King streets.
The K-Ingleside and T-Third rail lines will combine as the KT, running between Balboa Park and Sunnydale. Head signs on trains will either display “T” or “KT” while real-time prediction and trip planning apps will display “KT.”
At Fourth and King streets, Muni riders can transfer to the T bus or KT train, but the agency advises riders that taking the KT could be a faster option depending on the destination.
The water leakage issue inside the Chinatown station has been known to the agency since completing the $2 billion transit project in late 2022. The agency said while it’s typical for some water leakage into the tunnel, the water has seeped through into the station itself, including on the staircase, and damaged panels in the tunnel.
In December, The Voice reported that the SFMTA Board of Directors approved a $6.5 million contract to Renesco Inc. to mitigate the water introduction. Albert Hoe, the Central Subway program manager, said at the time that crews will use different grouting methods to seal up cracks and joints.
During the construction, the SFMTA said they will work on installing a roof gutter on top of the plaza, installing new public art at the plaza level and restoration of a drainage system.
