Now that the dust has settled, as San Francisco’s Central Subway has been operating for over two years, a city supervisor wants to know the subway’s future and how transit officials can further improve the subway for Muni riders.
Last week at the Board of Supervisors meeting, District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter, who represents Chinatown and North Beach, requested a hearing from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to address the performance of the subway since its official opening in January 2023 and plans for an extension to North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf.
“I think it’s now time to examine what is working, where we have fallen short and what’s next,” Sauter said at the July 7 board meeting.
He is also requesting the SFMTA to address short-term plans to speed up and improve the reliability of subway service.
“For as quickly as the train moves underground, we’ve all been in that unfortunate situation when we are above ground and see pedestrians on the sidewalk walking faster than we move on the train,” Sauter said.
The Central Subway, costing $2 billion, is serviced by the T-Third rail line and has faced criticism due to construction delays and rising costs. Construction began in 2012, initially estimated to cost $1.6 billion, and was expected to open in 2018. The subway closed in March this year for several weeks to address water leakage in the Chinatown-Rose Pak station.
Despite the challenges faced in constructing the Central Subway, Sauter said it was important to discuss the potential extension of the subway to North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf to leverage future federal funding if available.
The Central Subway, costing $2 billion, has faced criticism due to construction delays and rising costs.
“Let’s get ready now so we can make the case for how important the extension is and win these funds in the future,” Sauter said
This idea to extend the subway beyond Chinatown was previously considered in a concept study over a decade ago as part of a third phase of the T rail line. The supervisor referenced the study conducted by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority in 2014, which estimated that extending the subway beyond Chinatown could increase ridership on the Central Subway by over 50 percent.
Sauter said there has been a 15 percent ridership growth in April and May, not including the time the subway was closed for water leak repairs.
The supervisor is also seeking answers from the SFMTA regarding broken elevators and escalators, particularly at the Chinatown station.
Additionally, Satuer wants to know from transit officials when retail kiosks will open at the Union Square and Chinatown stations. While a temporary pop-up shop was introduced at the Chinatown station in 2023, no other retail shops have opened at either station since then.
Sauter said he understood that the SFMTA is currently facing a financial struggle and that the city must focus on funding Muni, but added that “we also need to give transit riders something to believe in.”