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{{Short description|Light rail system in San Francisco, California}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox public transit
| box_width = 280px
| name = Muni Metro
| image = Muni worm logo.svg
| imagesize = 150px
| image2 = Inbound T Third Street train at Castro station, August 2013.jpg
| imagesize2 = 300px
| caption2 = An inbound [[T Third Street]] train at Castro station in 2013
| image3 = Inbound N Judah train boarding at 48th Avenue, September 2019.JPG
| imagesize3 = 300px
| caption3 = An inbound [[N Judah]] train at 48th Avenue in 2019
| owner = [[San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency]]
| locale = [[San Francisco]], [[California]]
| transit_type = [[Light rail]]
| lines = 7
| stations = 117
| ridership = {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Muni LR daily}} ({{American transit ridership|dailydate}}){{American transit ridership|dailycitation}}{{efn-ua|name=Ridership}}
| annual_ridership = {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Muni LR annual}} ({{American transit ridership|annualdate}}){{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}{{efn-ua|name=Ridership}}
| website = {{URL|sfmta.com/munimetro}}
| began_operation = {{start date|1980|2|18}}
| operator = [[San Francisco Municipal Railway]]
| vehicles = 249 [[Siemens S200|Siemens LRV4]] (on order)<ref name="Fleet Plan">{{cite web |title=2010 SFMTA Transit Fleet Management Plan |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rhome/documents/2010FleetPlan_MainText-FinalAccessible.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=March 3, 2013}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
| train_length = {{convert|75–150|ft|abbr=on}} (1–2 LRVs)<ref name="LRV Specs">{{cite web |title=San Francisco LRV Specifications |url=http://www.ansaldobredainc.com/images/stories/san_francisco_light_rail.pdf |publisher=Ansaldobreda |access-date=March 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172341/http://www.ansaldobredainc.com/images/stories/san_francisco_light_rail.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref>
| system_length = {{convert|38.9|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="Railopenings">{{cite web | last=Demery | first=Leroy W. Jr. |title=U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980 |url=http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/NorthAmericaRailTransitOpenings/Railopenings_US_Updated2011.pdf |website=publictransit.us |date=November 2011 |access-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104023212/http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/NorthAmericaRailTransitOpenings/Railopenings_US_Updated2011.pdf |archive-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref><!-- 36.8 supported by this citation + 2.1 for Central Subway supported by that page -->
| track_gauge = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}<ref name="LRV Specs" />
| el = {{600 V DC|conductor=overhead}}<ref name="LRV Specs" />
| average_speed = {{convert|9.6|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="UCOE">{{cite web |title=San Francisco Muni: Unique Cost/Operating Environment |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/cmta/documents/MuniUniqueCostOpenEnv.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=July 26, 2007 |access-date=February 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205230220/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/cmta/documents/MuniUniqueCostOpenEnv.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2009}}</ref>
| top_speed = {{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="topspeed">{{cite news |first=Will |last=Reisman |title=Muni Metro trackway trouble unresolved |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/muni-metro-trackway-trouble-unresolved |work=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |date=December 14, 2010 |access-date=January 21, 2011}}</ref>
| map = {{switcher
| {{maplink-road|from=Muni Metro.map}}
| Show interactive map
| [[File:September 2024 Muni Metro map.png|275px]]
| Show static map
| {{Muni Metro lines|inline=yes}}
|Show route diagram
}}
}}

'''Muni Metro''' is a [[light rail]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vantuono |first=William C. |date=2025-02-13 |title=Muni ATCS Replacement Under Way with Hitachi Rail SelTrac™ (Updated Feb. 13, 2025) |url=https://www.railwayage.com/cs/muni-atcs-replacement-under-way/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Railway Age |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Muni Metro Light Rail {{!}} SFMTA |url=https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/muni-metro-light-rail |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=www.sfmta.com |language=en}}</ref> system serving [[San Francisco]], California, United States. Operated by the [[San Francisco Municipal Railway]] (Muni), a part of the [[San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency]] (SFMTA), Muni's light rail lines{{efn-ua|Ridership is for all light rail lines, including the heritage streetcars (E & F)|name=Ridership}} saw an average of {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Muni LR daily}} boardings per day as of {{American transit ridership|dailydateasof}} and a total of {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Muni LR annual}} boardings in {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}, making it the [[List of United States light rail systems by ridership#List|fifth-busiest light rail system in the United States]].

Five services—[[J Church]], [[K Ingleside]], [[L Taraval]], [[M Ocean View]], and [[N Judah]]—run on separate surface alignments and merge into a single east–west tunnel, the [[Market Street subway]]. The [[T Third Street]] uses a north–south tunnel downtown, the [[Central Subway (San Francisco)|Central Subway]]. The supplementary [[S Shuttle]] service operates within the Market Street subway and [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]]. Muni Metro operates a fleet of 249 [[Siemens S200]] LRVs. The system has [[List of Muni Metro stations|117 stations]], of which 63 (54%) are [[accessibility|accessible]].

Muni Metro is one of the [[Light rail in the United States|surviving first-generation streetcar systems in North America]]. The San Francisco Municipal Railway was created in 1909 and opened its first streetcar lines in 1912. Five of the current lines were added in the following decades: the J in 1917, the K (including the Twin Peaks Tunnel) in 1918, the L in 1919, the M in 1925, and the N in 1928. The other Municipal Railway streetcar lines, and those of the privately owned [[Market Street Railway (transit operator)|Market Street Railway]], were converted to buses in the 1920s to 1950s, but these five lines were retained as streetcars because of their private rights of way. The system was converted to light rail, with larger [[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle]]s, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This included the opening of the Market Street subway as well as an extension of three lines to [[Balboa Park station]]. An extension along [[Embarcadero (San Francisco)|The Embarcadero]] to the [[San Francisco 4th and King Street station|Caltrain terminal at 4th and King Street]] opened in 1998. The T Third Street line opened in 2007, serving the southeastern portion of the city. The Central Subway, with three new subway stations and one new surface station, opened on November 19, 2022.

== History==
=== Beginnings ===
[[File:MUNI 1149 East Portal Feb 1967xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|left|An outbound L Taraval PCC car entering the (now demolished) eastern portal of the [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]], February 1967]]
The first street railroad in San Francisco was the San Francisco Market Street Railroad Company, which was incorporated in 1857 and began operating in 1860, with track along Market Street from California to Mission Dolores.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008922968 |title=The municipal railway of San Francisco, 1912–1921 |author=O'Shaughnessy, M.M. |date=1921 |publisher=J.A. Prudhomme Composition Co |location=San Francisco, California |access-date=January 17, 2017 |page=9}}</ref> Muni Metro descended from the municipally owned traditional streetcar system started on December 28, 1912, when the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) was established.<ref name="F-Line history">{{cite web |url=http://streetcar.org/fline-history.html |title=A Brief History of the F-Market & Wharves Line |publisher=[[Market Street Railway (nonprofit)|Market Street Railway]] |access-date=August 22, 2010}}</ref> The first streetcar line, the A Geary, ran from Kearny and Market Streets in the [[Financial District, San Francisco, California|Financial District]] to Fulton Street and 10th Avenue in the [[Richmond District, San Francisco, California|Richmond District]].<ref name="A Geary">{{cite web |url=http://www.outsidelands.org/A-line.php |title=Streetcars: The A Line |publisher=Western Neighborhoods Project |date=May 22, 2002 |access-date=March 8, 2008}}</ref><ref>O'Shaughnessy (1921), p.&nbsp;18</ref> The system slowly expanded, opening the [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]] in 1917,<ref name="tunnels">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hgtun.htm |title=The City's Tunnels: When S.F. Can't Go Over, It Goes Under Its Hills |first=Kevin |last=Wallace |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=SFGenealogy |date=March 27, 1949 |access-date=March 8, 2009}}</ref> allowing streetcars to run to the southwestern quadrant of the city. By 1921, the city was operating {{convert|304|mi}} of electric trolley lines and {{convert|25|mi}} of cable car lines.<ref>O'Shaughnessy (1921), p.&nbsp;5</ref> The last line to start service before 2007 was the [[N Judah]], which started service after the [[Sunset Tunnel]] opened in 1928.<ref name="N-start">{{cite web |url=http://www.outsidelands.org/N-line.php |title=N Judah Streetcar Line |publisher=Western Neighborhoods Project |date=October 18, 2007 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}</ref>

In the 1940s and 1950s, as in many North American cities, public transit in San Francisco was consolidated under the aegis of a single municipal corporation, which then began phasing out much of the streetcar network in favor of buses.<ref name="phasingout">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/about-sfmta/our-history-and-fleet/muni-history |title=Muni's History |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701151056/http://sfmta.com/about-sfmta/our-history-and-fleet/muni-history |archive-date=July 1, 2014}}</ref> However, five heavily used streetcar lines traveled for at least part of their routes through tunnels or otherwise reserved [[Right-of-way (railroad)|right-of-way]], and thus could not be converted to bus lines.<ref name="legacies">{{cite web |url=http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf |title=This Is Light Rail Transit |work=Light Rail Transit Committee |publisher=Transportation Research Board |page=7 |date=November 2000 |access-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417103723/http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/light_rail_bro.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=April 17, 2018}}</ref> As a result, these lines, running [[PCC streetcar]]s, continued in operation.

===Market Street subway===
Original plans for the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART]] system drawn up in the 1950s envisioned a double-decked subway tunnel under [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]] (known as the Market Street subway) in downtown San Francisco; the lower deck would be dedicated to express trains, while the upper would be served by local trains whose routes would spread south and west through the city. However, by 1961 these plans were altered; only a single BART route would travel through the city on the lower deck, while the upper deck would be served by the existing Muni streetcar routes.<ref name="1961Report">{{cite web |title=Rapid Transit for the San Francisco Bay Area |url=http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/bart/1961-parsons-engineering-report-to-sf-bart-district.pdf |website=LA Metro Library |publisher=Parsons Brinckerhoff / Tudor / Bechtel |access-date=21 July 2018}}</ref> The new tunnel would be connected to the existing [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]]. The new underground stations would feature high platforms, and the older stations would be retrofitted with the same, which meant that the PCC cars could not be used in them. Hence, a fleet of new [[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle|light rail vehicles]] was ordered from [[Boeing Rotorcraft Systems|Boeing-Vertol]], but were not delivered until 1979–80, even though the tunnel was completed in 1978. The K and M lines were extended to [[Balboa Park, San Francisco|Balboa Park]] during this time, providing further connections to BART. (The J line also saw an extension there in 1991, which provided yet another BART connection at [[Glen Park (BART station)|Glen Park]].)

[[File:PCC 1025 and Boeing LRV 1220 at West Portal, November 1980.jpg|thumb|left|K Ingleside [[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle|USSLRV]] passes an {{Nowrap|M Ocean View}} [[PCC streetcar|PCC]] car at [[West Portal Station|West Portal]], November 1980.]]
On February 18, 1980, the Muni Metro was officially inaugurated, with weekday N line service in the subway.<ref name="perles1981">{{cite book |last=Perles |first=Anthony |title=The People's Railway: The History of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco |year=1981 |publisher=[[Interurban Press]] |location=Glendale, CA (US) |isbn=0-916374-42-4 |page=250}}</ref> The Metro service was implemented in phases, and the subway was served only on weekdays until 1982. The [[K Ingleside]] line began using the entire Metro subway on weekdays on June 11, 1980, the [[L Taraval]] and [[M Ocean View]] lines on December 17, 1980, and lastly the [[J Church]] line on June 17, 1981.<ref name="mckane-perles1982">{{cite book |last1=McKane |first1=John |last2=Perles |first2=Anthony |title=Inside Muni: The Properties and Operations of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco |year=1982 |publisher=[[Interurban Press]] |location=Glendale, CA (US) |isbn=0-916374-49-1 |pages=189–202}}</ref> Meanwhile, weekend service on all five lines (J, K, L, M, N) continued to use PCC cars operating on the surface of [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]] through to the [[Transbay Terminal]], and the Muni Metro was closed on weekends. At the end of the service day September 19, 1982, streetcar operations on the surface of Market Street were discontinued entirely, the remaining PCC cars taken out of service, and weekend service on the five light rail lines was temporarily converted to buses.<ref name="chron-1982sep20">Soiffer, Bill (September 20, 1982). "The Last Streetcar On Top of Market". ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', p. 2.</ref><ref name="perles-tours">{{cite book |last=Perles |first=Anthony |title=Tours of Discovery: A San Francisco Muni Album |year=1984 |publisher=[[Interurban Press]] |isbn=0-916374-60-2 |pages=126, 136}}</ref> Finally, on November 20, 1982, the Muni Metro subway began operating seven days a week.<ref name="perles-tours" />

At the time, there were no firm plans to revive any service on the surface of Market Street or return PCC cars to regular running.<ref name="chron-1982sep20" /> However, tracks were rehabilitated for the 1983 [[San Francisco Historic Trolley Festival|Historic Trolley Festival]],<ref name="perles-tours" /> and the inauguration of the [[F Market & Wharves|F line]], served by [[heritage streetcar]]s, followed in 1995.

[[File:Train of Boeing LRVs waiting to depart Muni Metro's Embarcadero station in 1993.jpg|thumb|right|A train of Boeing USSLRVs at [[Embarcadero station]], August 1993]]
By the late 1980s, Muni scheduled 20 trains per hour (TPH) through the Market Street subway at peak periods, with all trains using the crossover west of Embarcadero station to reverse direction. To allow for high frequencies on the surface branches, eastbound trains were combined at West Portal and Duboce Portal, and westbound trains split at those locations. Two-car N Judah trains and one-car J Church trains (each 10TPH) combined at the Duboce Portal, while two-car L Taraval trains (10TPH) alternately combined with two-car M Ocean View and K Ingleside (each 5 TPH) trains at West Portal to form four-car trains. However, this provided suboptimal service; many inbound trains did not arrive at the portals in time to combine into longer trains.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/munimetroturnaro1989unit#page/n63/mode/2up |pages=1–3 |chapter=Chapter 1 |title=Muni Metro Turnaround Project: Final Environmental Impact Statement |publisher=United States Department of Transportation Urban Mass Transportation Administration |via=Internet Archive |date=August 1989}}</ref>

=== Muni meltdown ===
In the mid to late 1990s, San Francisco grew more prosperous and its population expanded with the advent of the [[dot-com boom]], and the Metro system began to feel the strain of increased commuter demand. Muni criticism had been something of a feature of life in San Francisco, and not without reason. The Boeing trains were sub-par and grew crowded quickly,<ref name="reliefdelayed">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48536185/the-san-francisco-examiner/ |title=Muni relief delayed till next year |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |first=Tyche |last=Hendricks |date=September 22, 1998 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> and the difficulty in running a hybrid streetcar and light rail system—with five lines merging into one—led to scheduling problems on the main trunk lines with long waits between arrivals and commuter-packed trains sometimes sitting motionless underground for extended periods of time.<ref name="reliefdelayed" />

Muni did take steps to address these problems. Newer, larger [[Società Italiana Ernesto Breda|Breda]] cars were ordered, an extension of the system towards South Beach—where many of the new dot-coms were headquartered—was built, and the underground section was switched to Automatic Train Operation (ATO). The Breda cars, however, came in noisy, overweight, oversized, under-braked, and over-budget (their price grew from US$2.2{{nbsp}}million per car to nearly US$3{{nbsp}}million over the course of their production).<ref name="sfgatecostofnewbreda">{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/04/22/MN15091.DTL |title=Muni Investing in More Breda Streetcars |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=April 22, 1999 |access-date=April 18, 2007}}</ref><ref name="sfgatecostofoldbreda">{{cite news |first=Erin |last=McCormick |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/12/10/NEWS2490.dtl |title=Muni rolling out first of new fleet of streetcars |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=April 21, 1997 |access-date=April 18, 2007}}</ref> In fact, the new trains were so heavy ({{convert|10000|lb}} more than the Boeing LRVs they replaced) that some homeowners, claiming that the exceptional weight of the Breda cars damaged their foundations, sued the city of San Francisco.<ref name="noevalleybredaoverweight">{{cite news |url=http://www.noevalleyvoice.com/1998/March/breda.html |title=J-Line Residents Ready to Rumble Over Breda Cars |newspaper=The Noe Valley Voice |access-date=April 18, 2007}}</ref> The Breda cars are longer and wider than the previous Boeing cars, necessitating the modification of subway stations and maintenance yards, as well as the rear view mirrors on the trains themselves.<ref name="sfgatecostofoldbreda" /> Furthermore, the Breda cars do not run in three-car trains, like the Boeing cars used to, as doing so had, in some instances, physically damaged the overhead power wires.<ref name="longbredatrains">{{cite web |url=http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0861.html |title=Coupling without orders is technically an avoidable accident |publisher=Rescue MUNI |access-date=April 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000920035744/http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0861.html |archive-date=September 20, 2000}}</ref> The Breda trains were so noisy that San Francisco budgeted over $15{{nbsp}}million to quiet them down, while estimates range up to $1{{nbsp}}million per car to remedy the excessive noise.<ref name="sfgatebredanoise">{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1997/08/14/MN9354.DTL |title=Muni Plans to Quiet Streetcars |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=August 14, 1997 |access-date=April 18, 2007}}</ref> Throughout their service lives the Breda cars remained noisier than the PCC and Boeing cars. In 1998, federal inspectors mandated a lower speed limit of {{convert|30|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, down from {{convert|50|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, because the brakes were problematic.<ref name="sfgatebredabrakes">{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Fundamental-Flaws-Derail-Hopes-of-Improving-Muni-2989206.php |title=Fundamental Flaws Derail Hopes of Improving Muni |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=September 21, 1998 |author=Nolte, Carl |access-date=April 18, 2007}}</ref><ref name="bredaebald">{{cite web |year=2004 |url=https://ginnadowler.blogspot.com/2004/11/real-time-subways.html |title=Real-time Subways |publisher=Gin and Tonic |access-date=April 21, 2007}}</ref>

The ATC system was plagued by numerous glitches when first implemented, initially causing significantly more harm than good. Common occurrences included sending trains down the wrong tracks, and, more often, inappropriately applying emergency braking.<ref name="bredabrakehorrors">{{cite web |year=1998 |url=http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0883.html |title=EBs in the Subway—ARRGH |publisher=Rescue Muni |access-date=April 21, 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208104123/http://www.lumiere.net/home/forums/archives/rescuemuni/0883.html |archive-date=February 8, 2012}}</ref> Eventually the result was a spectacular service crisis, widely referred to as the "Muni meltdown", in the summer of 1998. During this period, two reporters for the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''—one riding in the Muni Metro subway and one on foot on the surface—held a race through downtown, with the walking reporter emerging the winner.<ref name="race">{{cite news |first1=Edward |last1=Epstein |first2=Steve |last2=Rubenstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/09/01/MN27926.DTL |title=A Walker Matches Train Pace |access-date=February 15, 2009 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=September 1, 1998}}</ref>

After initial problems with the ATC were fixed, substantial upgrades to the entire Muni transit systems have gone a long way towards resolving persistent crowding and scheduling issues. Nonetheless, Muni remains one of the slowest urban transport systems in the United States.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

=== Recent expansions ===
In 1980, the [[M Ocean View]] was extended from Broad Street and Plymouth Avenue to its current terminus at [[Balboa Park Station|Balboa Park]].<ref name="Railopenings" /> In 1991, the [[J Church]] was extended from Church and 30th Streets to its current terminus at Balboa Park.<ref name="Railopenings" /> In 1998, the [[N Judah]] was extended from [[Embarcadero Station]] to the planned site of the new [[Oracle Park|Pacific Bell Park]] and [[San Francisco 4th and King Street station|Caltrain Depot]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Brown-Tries-To-Soothe-Muni-Riders-Service-on-2994640.php |title=Brown Tries To Soothe Muni Riders / Service on N-Judah line has been abysmal all week – SFGate |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=August 26, 1998 |access-date=March 27, 2013}}</ref> The extension was briefly served between January and August of that year by the [[List of defunct San Francisco Municipal Railway lines#E Embarcadero|temporary]] E Embarcadero<ref name="NewEmbarcadero">{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Epstein |title=Muni's Embarcadero Streetcar Line Set to Make First Runs |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/01/09/MN36312.DTL  |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 9, 1998 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Taylor |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PAGE-ONE-Muni-s-New-E-Line-No-Beeline-Trains-3009399.php |title=PAGE ONE – Muni's New E-Line No Beeline / Trains more tardy, irregular than buses – SFGate |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=April 6, 1998 |access-date=March 27, 2013}}</ref> light rail shuttle (restored in 2015 as the [[E Embarcadero]] [[heritage streetcar]] line).

In 2007, the [[T Third Street]], running south from Caltrain Depot along Third Street to the southern edge of the city, opened as part of the [[Third Street Light Rail Project]]. Limited weekend T line service began on January 13, 2007, while full service began on April 7, 2007. The line initially ran from the southern terminus at [[Sunnydale Station|Bayshore Boulevard and Sunnydale Street]] to [[Castro Street Station]] in the north.<ref name="NewTThirdStreet">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/tthirdsvc.htm |title=New T-Third Service |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=January 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511191810/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/tthirdsvc.htm |archive-date=May 11, 2008}}</ref> The line ran into initial problems with breakdowns, bottlenecks, and power failures, creating massive delays.<ref name="TThirddelays">{{cite news |first=Rachel |last=Gordon |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/12/MNGKFP790F1.DTL |title=Passengers Left in Lurch By T-Third's Rough Start |work=San Francisco Chronicle |page=A-1 |date=April 12, 2007 |access-date=March 20, 2009}}</ref> Service changes to address complaints with the introduction of the T Third Street were implemented on June 30, 2007, when the K and T trains were interlined, or effectively merged into one single line with route designations changing at the entrances into the subway (T becomes K outbound at Embarcadero; K becomes T inbound at West Portal).<ref name="TThirdsfmta">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/malerts/ServiceChangesEffectiveJune302007.htm |title=Service Changes Effective June 30, 2007 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |year=2007 |access-date=July 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024041315/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/malerts/ServiceChangesEffectiveJune302007.htm |archive-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref>

The [[Central Subway (San Francisco)|Central Subway]] runs between [[Chinatown station (Muni Metro)|Chinatown station]] in [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]] and a portal in [[South of Market, San Francisco|South of Market (SoMa)]], with intermediate stops at [[Union Square/Market Street station]] in [[Union Square, San Francisco|Union Square]] and [[Yerba Buena/Moscone station]] in SoMa. A surface portion runs through SoMa to connect to the existing [[T Third Street]] line at [[San Francisco 4th and King Street station|4th and King station]]. Muni estimates that the [[Central Subway (San Francisco)|Central Subway]] section of the T Third Street line will carry roughly 35,100 riders per day by 2030.<ref name="CSinfosheet">{{cite web |url=http://centralsubwaysf.com/content/faqs#ridership |title=FAQS MTA Central Subway |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref> Originally set to open in late 2018, the subway opened with weekend-only shuttle service on November 19, 2022. Full service as part of the T Third Street line began on January 7, 2023.<ref name="cssc">{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/travel-updates/central-subway-service-changes |title=Central Subway Service Changes |date=November 19, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=Central Subway Opens November 19 with Special Weekend Service |date=November 1, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/central-subway-opens-november-19-special-weekend-service}}</ref><ref name="jan7">{{cite news |last1=Bay City News |title=New Central Subway Line Opens in San Francisco |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/central-subway-line-san-francisco/3123506/ |access-date=January 7, 2023 |work=[[KNTV]] |publisher=[[NBC Owned Television Stations]] |date=January 7, 2023|author1-link=Bay City News }}</ref> Additional shuttle trains signed "S Chase Center" will operate between {{munis|Chinatown}} and {{munis|UCSF/Chase Center}} for events at Chase Center.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/new-t-third-route-central-subway-starting-january-7 |title=New T Third Route in Central Subway Starting January 7 |date=December 13, 2022 |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref>

===COVID-19 pandemic===
[[File:Muni Metro (2020-08).svg|thumb|right|2020 Muni Metro system map showing the combination of the K/L and the M/T lines]]
On March 30, 2020, Muni Metro service was replaced with buses due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/starting-march-30-new-muni-service-changes |title=Starting March 30: New Muni Service Changes |date=March 26, 2020 |first=Amy |last=Fowler |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> The SFMTA reopened rail service on August 22, 2020,<ref name=aug22>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/major-muni-service-expansion-august-22 |title=Major Muni Service Expansion August 22 |date=August 18, 2020 |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> but returned to bus substitution three days later, citing malfunctioning [[overhead wire]] [[Line splice|splices]] and the need to quarantine control center staff after a COVID-19 case.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/travel-updates/bus-substitution-all-rail-lines |date=August 25, 2020 |title=Bus Substitution for All Rail Lines |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Muni tells train riders to get back on the bus |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/muni-tells-train-riders-to-get-back-on-the-bus/ |date=August 24, 2020 |first=Carly |last=Graf |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner}}</ref> During this brief time, routes were reconfigured to improve reliability in the subway:
* J Church service operated as an only-surface route between {{Munis|Balboa Park}} and {{Munis|Church and Market}}, requiring transfers to the [[Market Street subway]] at Church station.
* K Ingleside and L Taraval service was interlined as the LK, running between {{Munis|Taraval and Sunset}} and Balboa Park; no J, K, or L service entered the subway. Light-rail service west of Sunset Boulevard was replaced by buses to allow for construction. Transfers were required at West Portal station.
* M Ocean View and T Third Street service was interlined as the TM, running between [[Sunnydale station|Sunnydale]] and Balboa Park.
* S Shuttle service was increased, running with the TM and N in the subway.

Advocates with local nonprofit Senior and Disability Action criticized this route configuration, expressing concern over the need to transfer at West Portal and Church stations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/muni-improvements-could-make-things-harder-for-seniors-disabled/ |title=Muni 'improvements' could make things harder for seniors, disabled |first=Carly |last=Graf |date=August 18, 2020 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner}}</ref> In November 2020, the SFMTA that announced some rail lines such as the N Judah and T Third would likely return in early 2021, followed by a gradual return to full operation. Kirschbaum said the agency was reconsidering its approach to maintenance after the botched attempt to reopen in August, and that it might take 5 to 8 years to fully address the system's vulnerabilities.<ref name="Graf-Nov3">{{cite news|last1=Graf|first1=Carly|date=3 November 2020|title='Some rail' expected to return early 2021, but additional shutdowns might be necessary|work=San Francisco Examiner|url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/some-rail-expected-to-return-early-2021-but-additional-shutdowns-might-be-necessary/|access-date=21 November 2020}}</ref> Among the most urgent issues was replacing the [[track ballast]] in the [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]], which was meant to be replaced during a maintenance project in 2018 but was instead reused at that time. [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors|City supervisors]] harshly criticized the mistake, which SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin blamed on a "culture of fear" he was working to correct since becoming the agency's leader in 2019.<ref name="Graf-Nov20">{{cite news |last1=Graf |first1=Carly |title=SFMTA head says 'culture of fear' at agency contributed to series of botched capital projects |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/sfmta-head-says-culture-of-fear-at-agency-contributed-to-series-of-botched-capital-projects/ |access-date=20 November 2020 |work=San Francisco Examiner |date=20 November 2020}}</ref>

The surface-only (from Market Street to Balboa Park) J Church route resumed service on December 19, 2020, followed by the Embarcadero–Sunnydale portion of the T Third Street on January 23, 2021.<ref>{{Cite press release|title=Upcoming Muni Service Expansions Phase-in Rail Service, Add Bus Service|date=December 7, 2020|publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency|url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/upcoming-muni-service-expansions-phase-rail-service-add-bus-service|last1=Maguire|first1=Mariana|access-date=December 21, 2021}}</ref> N Judah and K Ingleside light rail service resumed on May 15, 2021, with the K and T again interlined, along with S Shuttle service now converted to supplementary.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715175640/https://www.sfmta.com/projects/rail-recovery |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/rail-recovery |title=Rail Recovery |date=July 7, 2020 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/welcome-back-westside-k-ingleside-trains |title=Welcome Back to the Westside, K Ingleside Trains! |date=April 16, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> At that time, some stations were converted to new [[wayfinding]] signage based on international standards, with compass directions like "westbound" replacing older "inbound"/"outbound" directions.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/muni-metro-debuts-new-international-wayfinding-standards |title=Muni Metro Debuts New International Wayfinding Standards |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |date=July 22, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> M Ocean View light rail service resumed on August 14, 2021. The L remained served by buses due to a multi-year reconstruction on the surface section of the line until it resumed train service on September 28, 2024.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/welcoming-back-m-ocean-view-and-31-balboa |title=Welcoming Back the M Ocean View and 31 Balboa |date=July 15, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=L Taraval Improvement Project|url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/l-taraval-improvement-project|access-date=November 26, 2021|website=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.| date=February 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=L Taraval Trains Return This Month: Learn the Details and All About the Corridor's Upgrades|url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/l-taraval-trains-return-month-learn-details-and-all-about-corridors-upgrades|access-date=October 19, 2024|website=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.| date=September 12, 2024 }}</ref> Service only ran until 9pm until October 2, 2021, when it was extended to 10pm on Sundays and midnight on other days to better align with BART's late-night service.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/late-night-metro-and-more-j-church-service-starts-october-2-2021 |title=Late Night Metro and More J Church Service Starts October 2, 2021 |date=September 30, 2021 |first=Mariana |last=Maguire |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> J Church service resumed subway service on February 19, 2022.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/travel-updates/muni-service-changes-starting-saturday-february-19-2022 |title=Muni Service Changes Starting Saturday, February 19, 2022 |date=February 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref>

===Future===
Several further expansions have been proposed. SFMTA has studied extending the Central Subway as an above-ground light rail line or subway through North Beach, and into the Marina district, with the possibility of eventually terminating in the Presidio.<ref name="t-third-phase-3-study">{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2014/12-2-14%20Item%2015%20T-Third%20Phase%203%20Concept%20Study.pdf |title=T-Third Phase 3 Concept Study |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=April 28, 2018}}</ref>

Starting in 2017, the SFMTA, in collaboration with other city agencies, began its ConnectSF process to plan its vision for future transit expansions that would follow its then under construction projects such as Van Ness BRT and the Central Subway.<ref>{{cite web|title=About ConnectSF|url=https://connectsf.org/about/about-connectsf/|accessdate=May 1, 2024|publisher=City and County of San Francisco}}</ref> The final report on transit from the ConnectSF program was released in 2021 and identified two major corridors for Muni Metro expansion: a subway line along the Geary Boulevard and 19th Avenue corridor connecting to Daly City, and the extension of the Central Subway to Fisherman's Wharf that had already undergone preliminary analysis.<ref name="connectsf-transit">{{cite report|title=ConnectSF Transit Strategy|url=https://connectsf.org/wp-content/uploads/ConnectSF_Transit_Strategy_FINAL-20211209-1.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104234049/https://connectsf.org/wp-content/uploads/ConnectSF_Transit_Strategy_FINAL-20211209-1.pdf|archivedate=January 4, 2024|date=December 2021|publisher=City and County of San Francisco|accessdate=May 1, 2024}}</ref> The Geary/19th corridor would replace earlier efforts to plan a standalone Geary subway line, such as in the 2017 20-year Capital Plan,<ref name="sfmta-20-year-plan">{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports/2017/9-15-15%20Item%2011%20Capital%20Plan.pdf |title=SFMTA 20-year Capital Plan |date=2017 |access-date=April 28, 2018 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> and the planning effort started in 2014 (called the Muni Subway Expansion Project) to extend the [[M Ocean View]] in a fully grade-separated right-of-way to better serve the 19th Avenue corridor that had begun preliminary engineering studies in 2018.<ref name="sfcta-19th-ave">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfcta.org/transportation-planning-and-studies/current-research-and-other-projectsstudies/19th-avenue-transit-study-home |title=19th Avenue Transit Study |publisher=San Francisco County Transportation Authority |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name="muni-subway-expansion">{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/muni-subway-expansion-project |title=Muni Subway Expansion Project |date=June 5, 2014 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref>

The ConnectSF report also identified the need to modernize the Muni Metro system. Key improvements that are planned include a new train control system that utilizes [[communications-based train control]] and infrastructure improvements that would enable longer trains to run in the subway and on some surface lines with greater reliability.<ref name="connectsf-transit" /> As of 2024, the train control system replacement was in the planning stages with a pilot implementation planned in 2025 and with the entire upgrade estimated to be completed in 2029.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.railwayage.com/news/muni-atcs-replacement-under-way/|title=Muni ATCS Replacement Under Way|last=Vantuono|first=William C.|date=January 12, 2024|accessdate=May 1, 2024}}</ref> The SFMTA board approved a $212 million design and procurement contract and a $114 million ten-year support contract with [[Hitachi Rail]] in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/media/40835/download?inline |title=Train Control Upgrade Project |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=October 15, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/media/40834/download?inline |title=Calendar Item No. 12 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=October 15, 2024}}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
{{See also|List of Muni Metro stations}}
The Muni Metro system consists of {{convert|71.5|mi|km}} of [[standard gauge|standard-gauge]] track, seven light rail lines (six regular lines and one peak-hour line), three tunnels, 12 subway stations, 25 surface stations, and 87 surface stops.<ref name="metroLR">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/about-sfmta/our-history-and-fleet/sfmta-fleet/muni-metro-light-rail |title=Muni Metro Light Rail |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Muni Castro Tunnel.jpg|thumb|right|Eastern portion of [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]]]]
[[File:Sunset-Tunnel-east.jpg|thumb|right|[[N Judah]] entering the eastern portal of the [[Sunset Tunnel]]]]
The backbone of the system is formed by two interconnected subway tunnels, the older [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]] and the newer Market Street subway, both controlled by [[automatic train operation]] systems to run trains with the operators closing the door to allow the train to pull out of a station. This ATO system was upgraded in 2015 to replace outdated software and [[relay]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Joe Fitzgerald |title=Tech in the tunnels: Muni train control system gets biggest upgrade since the '90s |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/tech-in-the-tunnels-muni-train-control-system-gets-biggest-upgrade-since-the-90s/Content?oid=2929518 |access-date=May 26, 2015 |work=San Francisco Examiner |date=May 10, 2015}}</ref> The tunnels, {{convert|5.5|mi|km}} in total length,<ref name="Railopenings" /> run from [[West Portal Station]] in the southwestern part of the city to [[Embarcadero Station]] in the heart of the [[Financial District, San Francisco, California|Financial District]]. Three lines—the [[K Ingleside]], the [[L Taraval]], and the [[M Ocean View]]—feed into the tunnel at West Portal, while two lines, the [[J Church]] and [[N Judah]], enter at a portal near Church Street and Duboce Avenue in the [[Duboce Triangle, San Francisco, California|Duboce Triangle]] neighborhood. The [[N Judah]] enters and exits the tunnel at Embarcadero. The [[T Third Street]] is the only line in the Muni Metro that does not enter the tunnel, instead going through the [[Central Subway (San Francisco)|Central Subway]]. An additional tunnel, the [[Sunset Tunnel]], is located near the Duboce portal and is served by the N.

The interconnected tunnels contain nine subway stations.<ref name="SFMTA CIP">{{cite web |title=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Capital Investment Plan—FY 2009–2013 |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rsrtp/documents/APPROVEDforweb-accessibleMTABCIP2008doc-REVISED050723.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=August 15, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205073125/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rsrtp/documents/APPROVEDforweb-accessibleMTABCIP2008doc-REVISED050723.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2009}}</ref> Three stations—West Portal, [[Forest Hill station (San Francisco)|Forest Hill]] and the now-defunct [[Eureka Valley station|Eureka Valley]]—were opened in 1918 as part of the Twin Peaks Tunnel,<ref name="TwinPeaksTunnelOpens">{{cite web |url=http://www.outsidelands.org/wotp.php |title=West of Twin Peaks |date=May 9, 2006 |access-date=January 14, 2009 |publisher=Western Neighborhoods Project}}</ref> while the other seven—[[Castro Street Station|Castro Street]], [[Church Street Station (San Francisco)|Church Street]], [[Van Ness Station|Van Ness]], [[Civic Center/UN Plaza Station|Civic Center]], [[Powell Street Station|Powell Street]], [[Montgomery Street Station|Montgomery Street]] and [[Embarcadero station|Embarcadero]]—were opened in 1980 as part of the Market Street subway. Four stations, Civic Center, Powell Street, Montgomery Street, and Embarcadero, are shared with [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] (BART), with Muni Metro on the upper level and BART on the lower one.<ref name="MuniBART">{{cite journal |url=http://pubsindex.trb.org/view.aspx?id=145760 |title=San Francisco's Muni Metro, A Light-Rail Transit System |access-date=August 22, 2010 |last=Bei |first=R. |year=1978 |journal=TRB Special Report No. 182, Light-Rail Transit: Planning and Technology |issue=182 |publisher=Transportation Research Board}}</ref>

Above ground, there are twenty-four surface platform stations.<ref name="SFMTA CIP" /> Two stations, [[Stonestown Galleria Station|Stonestown]] and [[San Francisco State University Station|San Francisco State University]], are located at the southwestern part of the city, while the rest are located on the eastern side of the city, where the system underwent recent expansion as part of the Embarcadero extension and the [[Third Street Light Rail Project]]. However, many of the stops on the system are surface stops consisting of anything from a traffic island to a yellow-banded "Car Stop" sign painted on a utility pole.<ref name="busstop">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/newcust.htm#stop |title=Info for New Riders: How do I find a bus stop? |access-date=August 3, 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727040554/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/newcust.htm#stop |archive-date=July 27, 2011}}</ref>

All subway and surface stations are [[Accessibility|accessible]] to people with disabilities. Because the system uses high-floor vehicles, while operating as a streetcar, the vehicles are not accessible to people with disabilities that impact their mobility. A select number of stops, typically located near major intersections, are equipped with [[Wheelchair ramp|ramps]] or [[Wheelchair lift|lifts]], for people with disabilities.<ref name="accessible">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/access.htm#metro |title=Muni Metro accessibility |access-date=February 14, 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727031505/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcust/access.htm#metro |archive-date=July 27, 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Siemens S200 SF at Green Yard.jpg|thumb|Green Yard in 2025]]
Muni Metro has two rail yards for storage and maintenance:
* Green Yard or '''Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center''' at 425 Geneva Avenue is located adjacent to [[Balboa Park Station]] and serves as the outbound terminus for the [[J Church]], [[K Ingleside]], and [[M Ocean View]]. The facility has repair facilities, an outdoor storage yard and larger carhouse structure. The facility was renamed for former and late head of Muni in 1987.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/07/31/BA237994.DTL |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |first=Carl |last=Nolte |title=Curtis E. Green – rose from bus driver to head of S.F. Muni |date=June 24, 2011}}</ref>
* '''Muni Metro East''' is a newer facility opened in 2008 and is located along the Central Waterfront on Illinois and 25th Streets in the [[Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California|Potrero Hill]] neighborhood, a block from the [[T Third Street]] line.<ref name="MME">{{cite news |first=Rachel |last=Gordon |title=S.F. streetcars get a new maintenance yard |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/17/BA6E12V5KO.DTL |work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}</ref> The {{convert|180000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} maintenance facility with outdoor storage area is located next to Northern Container Terminal and former Army Pier.

== Routes ==
{{See also|List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! rowspan=2 | Line
! rowspan=2 | Year<br />opened<ref name="Railopenings" /><ref name="Railopenings-old">{{cite web |url=http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/NorthAmericaRailTransitOpenings/Railopenings_ZAppend_2010.htm | last=Demery | first=Leroy W. Jr. |title=U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980: Appendix |website=publictransit.us |date=October 25, 2010 |access-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103235042/http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/NorthAmericaRailTransitOpenings/Railopenings_ZAppend_2010.htm |archive-date=November 3, 2013}}</ref>
! class="unsortable" colspan="2"| Termini
|-
! class="unsortable" | Eastbound/southbound
! class="unsortable" | Westbound/northbound
|-
| {{MUNI legend|J}}
| align="center" | 1917
| [[Embarcadero station]]
| [[Balboa Park station]]
|-
| {{MUNI legend|K}}
| align="center" | 1918
| Embarcadero station
| Balboa Park station
|-
| {{MUNI legend|L}}
| align="center" | 1919
| Embarcadero station
| [[Wawona and 46th Avenue station|Wawona and 46th Avenue (SF Zoo) station]]
|-
| {{MUNI legend|M}}
| align="center" | 1925
| Embarcadero station
| [[Balboa Park station|San Jose and Geneva (Balboa Park) station]]
|-
| {{MUNI legend|N}}
| align="center" | 1928
| [[San Francisco 4th and King Street station|4th and King station]]
| [[Judah and La Playa station|Judah and La Playa (Ocean Beach) station]]
|-
| {{MUNI legend|S}}
| align="center" | 2001
| Embarcadero station
| [[West Portal station]]
|-
| {{MUNI legend|T}}
| align="center" | 2007 || [[Sunnydale station]]
| [[Chinatown station (Muni Metro)|Chinatown station]]
|}

== Rolling stock ==
{{See also|San Francisco Municipal Railway fleet}}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Rolling stock comparison<ref name="WRM" /><ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/management/upload/NPS-HSC-Conceptual-Engineering-Report-Draft-2009-01-22-small3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630190036/https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/management/upload/NPS-HSC-Conceptual-Engineering-Report-Draft-2009-01-22-small3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 30, 2016 |title=Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Extension of Historic Streetcar Service from Fisherman's Wharf to the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area's Fort Mason Center |author=URS Corporation |date=January 22, 2009 |publisher=National Park Service – Golden Gate National Recreation Area |access-date=January 18, 2017 |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ansaldobredainc.com/light-rail-vehicles/san-francisco |title=Light Rail, San Francisco |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2011 |publisher=AnsaldoBreda |access-date=January 18, 2017 |archive-date=September 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904032548/http://www.ansaldobredainc.com/light-rail-vehicles/san-francisco}}</ref><ref name="breda">{{cite web |url=http://www.ansaldobredainc.com/images/stories/san_francisco_light_rail.pdf |title=San Francisco LRV |publisher=AnsaldoBreda |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172341/http://www.ansaldobredainc.com/images/stories/san_francisco_light_rail.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref><ref name="S200SFspec" />
|-
! scope="col" width="16%;" | Manufacturer
! scope="col" width="28%;" | [[Boeing Rotorcraft Systems|Boeing Vertol]]
! scope="col" width="28%;" | [[Società Italiana Ernesto Breda|Breda]]
! scope="col" width="28%;" | [[Siemens Mobility|Siemens]]
|-
! scope="row" | Model
! [[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle|US SLRV]]
! San Francisco LRV
! [[Siemens S200|S200 SF]]
|-
! scope="row" | Muni designation
! LRV1
! LRV2/3{{efn|LRV3 cars were delivered starting in 1999; the LRV3s featured some minor design changes that were later retrofitted to the earlier LRV2s.<ref name="SFMTA-2013-02" />}}
! LRV4
|-
! scope="row" | Image
| [[File:San Francisco Boeing LRV 1273 turning onto San Jose Ave from 30th St on the J-line in 1993 (cropped).jpg|125px]]
| [[File:Outbound train approaching San Jose and Randall (2), November 2019.JPG|125px]]
| [[File:Muni 2022 at Van Ness station, June 2018.JPG|125px]]
|-
! scope="row" | Dates in Service
| 1979–2002
| 1996–2025
| 2017–present
|-
! Quantity
| 131{{efn|Original order of 80 expanded to 100. 31 additional vehicles purchased from a lot of 40 rejected by MBTA, the other operator using SLRVs.}}
| 151{{efn|Original order of 35 (Dec 1991) expanded to 151 by exercising options: +5 (40 total, Nov 1992); +4 (44 total, May 1993); +8 (52 total, Dec 1993); +25 (77 total, Apr 1996). The last 74 (ordered as +59, Oct 1998; +15, May 1999) were delivered as LRV3 vehicles starting in 1999.<ref name="SFMTA-2013-02" />}}
| 249{{efn|Original order of 175 (151 to replace all Breda LRVs, 24 for Central Subway) expanded to 249 by exercising options: +40 (215 total, Jul 2014);<ref name=15-019>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2015/1-20-15%20Item%2012%20LRV%20Funding%20resolution.pdf |title=Resolution No. 15-019 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Board of Directors |date=July 15, 2014 |access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref> +4 (219 total, Jun 2017);<ref name=170620-081>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2017/6-20-17%20Item%2010.7%20Contract%20Amendment%20-%20Siemens%20RESOLUTION.pdf |title=Resolution No. 170620-081 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Board of Directors |date=June 20, 2017 |access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref> and +30 (249 total, Jul 2021).<ref name=210803-096>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2021/08/8-3-21_mtab_item_13_contract_modification_siemens_resolution.docx_.pdf |title=Resolution No. 210803-096 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Board of Directors |date=July 28, 2021 |access-date=13 December 2019}}[https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2021/07/8-3-21_mtab_item_13_contract_modification_siemens.pdf draft (PDF)]</ref>}}
|-
! Trucks/Axles
| colspan=3 | 3 trucks (2 powered), 6 axles (total)
|-
! Axle arrangement
| B-2-B
| colspan=2 | Bo-2-Bo
|-
! Articulations
| colspan=3 | 1
|-
! scope="row" | Length
| {{cvt|73|ft}}
| colspan=2 | {{cvt|75|ft}}
|-
! scope="row" | Width
| {{cvt|8|ft|10|in}}
| {{cvt|9|ft|2}}
| {{cvt|8|ft|8<!-- .32 -->|in|sigfig=3}}
|-
! scope="row" | Height
| colspan=3 | {{cvt|11|ft|6|in}}
|-
! scope="row" | Weight (empty)
| {{cvt|67000|lb}}
| {{cvt|79580|lb}}<ref name="SFmag" />
| {{cvt|78770|lb}}
|-
! scope="row" | Traction
| [[Chopper (electronics)|Chopper control]]<br />2 × {{cvt|210|hp}} [[Direct current|DC]] motors
| [[General Electric|GE]] [[Gate turn-off thyristor|GTO]]–[[Variable-frequency drive|VVVF]]<ref name="breda" /><br />4 × {{cvt|97|kW|order=flip}} [[Alternating current|AC]] motors
| Siemens [[Insulated-gate bipolar transistor|IGBT]]–VVVF<br />4 × {{cvt|174|hp}} AC motors
|-
! scope="row" | Power
| {{cvt|420|hp}}
| {{cvt|388|kW|order=flip}}
| {{cvt|696|hp}}
|-
! scope="row" | Capacity
| 68 seated, 219 maximum
| 60 seated, 218 maximum
| 60 seated, 203 maximum
|}

'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}

=== LRV 1: Boeing Vertol US SLRV (1979–2002) ===
{{main|US Standard Light Rail Vehicle}}
[[File:San Francisco Boeing LRV at Duboce & Church, March 1980.jpg|thumb|right|[[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle|Boeing USSLRV]] on the N Judah line, on Duboce Avenue at Church Street, about to enter the Market Street Subway, in March 1980, shortly after the opening of the Muni Metro]]
Muni Metro first operated [[Boeing Rotorcraft Systems|Boeing Vertol]]-made [[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle]]s (USSLRV), which were built for Muni Metro and [[Boston]]'s [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]].<ref name="trolleylemons">{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Kathleen |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Muni-knew-about-trolley-lemons-in-70s-3070106.php |title=Muni knew about trolley lemons in '70s |newspaper=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |date=September 14, 1998 |access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref><ref name="LRVjunkyard" /> Boeing had no experience in making LRVs,<ref name="trolleylemons" /> and has not made another since.<ref name="LRVjunkyard">{{cite news |last=Lelchuk |first=Ilene |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Muni-cars-on-a-roll-into-city-junkyard-Even-2883855.php |title=Muni cars on a roll into city junkyard |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=January 14, 2002 |access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref> The first cars of the initial 100-car order arrived in San Francisco in 1978; Boston had been running the cars since 1976 and by 1978, MBTA was already returning 35 cars for manufacturing defects.<ref name="trolleylemons" /> After receipt of the first cars, MBTA forced Boeing to make 70 to 80 modifications on each car. Boeing ended up paying {{US$|40000000|1976}} in damages to Boston.<ref name="trolleylemons" /> The purchase price for each car was {{US$|333000|1978}}.<ref name="trolleylemons" />

The federal government offered to provide 80% of the funds for design and production of the USSLRV<ref name="LRVjunkyard" /> in exchange for a commitment to keep the cars in service for at least 25 years,<ref name="trolleylemons" /> but the cars, as-delivered, were prone to jammed doors, defective brakes and motors, leaky roofs, mechanical breakdowns, and were involved in several accidents.<ref name="trolleylemons" /> Muni Metro added 30 more cars to the fleet; these 30 had been rejected by MBTA after suffering numerous breakdowns.<ref name="LRVjunkyard" /><ref name="SFC-980921" />

In 1982, the Boeing cars averaged only {{convert|600|mi}} between breakdowns; by 1988 this had improved to {{convert|1800|to|2000|mi}} between breakdowns.<ref name="trolleylemons" /> In 1998, Rudy Nothenberg, president of the Public Transportation Commission, said the Boeing cars were "impossible to maintain and [...] have many, many design flaws;"<ref name="trolleylemons" /> that same year, Muni was only able to supply 66–72 working cars for rush-hour service instead of the required 99 cars, resulting in system delays.<ref name="SFC-980921">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Fundamental-Flaws-Derail-Hopes-of-Improving-Muni-2989206.php |title=Fundamental Flaws Derail Hopes of Improving Muni |first=Carl |last=Nolte |date=September 21, 1998 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref> Despite the shortcomings of the USSLRV design, these cars constituted the entire light rail fleet until 1996, when new [[Società Italiana Ernesto Breda|Breda]]-manufactured cars were put into service,<ref name="NewBreda">{{cite news |last=Nolte |first=Carl |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stylish-New-Streetcars-Ready-to-Roll-S-F-Muni-2956393.php |title=Stylish New Streetcars Ready to Roll |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=December 10, 1996 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}</ref> replacing Boeing cars as they were accepted for service.<ref name="trolleylemons" /> By 1998, the 136-car Muni Metro fleet consisted of 57 Boeing Vertol cars and 79 Breda cars.<ref name="trolleylemons" />

Two Boeing cars were preserved for potential donation to the [[San Francisco Railway Museum]] but have since been scrapped;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/last-munis-1980s-era-clunker-trains-will-scrapped/ |title=Last of Muni's 1980s-era clunker trains will be scrapped |first=Joe Fitzgerald |last=Rodriguez |date=March 31, 2016 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> five were sold to the [[Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority|Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority]] for the modest price of {{US$|200|2002}} to {{US$|500|2002}} each; one was acquired by the [[Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society]] in 2001, but the Society declined to take any more Boeing cars after experiencing several breakdowns.<ref name="LRVjunkyard" /> Boeing car no. 1258 has been on exhibit at the [[Western Railway Museum]] near Suisun City since its acquisition in 2002.<ref name="WRM">{{cite web |url=http://www.wrm.org/visit/car-roster/passenger-cars/interurban/item/111-san-francisco-municipal-railway-1258 |title=San Francisco Municipal Railway 1258 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=May 5, 2011 |publisher=Western Railway Museum |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

=== LRV 2 & LRV 3: Breda (1996–2025) ===
[[File:Inbound train at Taraval and 42nd Avenue, June 2018.JPG|thumb|right|[[Società Italiana Ernesto Breda|Breda]] LRV on L Taraval at [[Taraval and 42nd Avenue station|42nd Avenue]]]]

The first of four prototypes of the new Breda cars was delivered in January 1995.<ref name="PTJ-Mar1995">{{cite news |editor-last=Wolinsky |editor-first=Julian |title=Commuter [transit-news section] |magazine=[[Passenger Train Journal]] |publisher=Pentrex |date=March 1995 |pages=12–13}}</ref> After delivery of additional cars and training of operators, the cars began to enter service on December 10, 1996. They were the most expensive street railway vehicles built to-date, at a cost of {{US$|2000000|1996}} each, and they were assembled at Pier 80.<ref name="NewBreda" /> After suffering initial breakdowns<ref name="Bredabreakdowns">{{cite news |last1=Epstein |first1=Edward |last2=Lynem |first2=Julie N. |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Brown-Descends-To-Take-Hellish-Journey-on-Muni-2994772.php |title=Brown Descends To Take Hellish Journey on Muni |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=August 29, 1998 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}</ref> and despite facing complaints of noise and vibrations,<ref name="BredaNoise">{{cite news |last=Epstein |first=Edward |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Streetcar-Racket-Figures-in-Contract-Consultant-2818671.php |title=Streetcar Racket Figures in Contract |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |date=July 9, 1997 |access-date=February 14, 2009}}</ref><ref name="SFC-981006">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/U-S-to-Pay-for-59-Streetcars-For-Muni-From-2987333.php |title=U.S. to Pay for 59 Streetcars For Muni From Italy's Breda |first=Edward |last=Epstein |date=October 6, 1998 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> the Bredas gradually replaced the Boeings, with the last Boeing car being retired in 2002.<ref name="LRVjunkyard" /> Residents along streetcar lines complained the new Breda cars would screech during acceleration and deceleration and their {{convert|80000|lb|adj=on}} weight, {{convert|10000|lb}} heavier than the Boeing cars,<ref name="BredaNoise" /> was blamed for vibration issues.<ref name="SFC-981006" /> At one point in 1998, 12 Breda cars were unavailable for service due to door problems.<ref name="Bredabreakdowns" /> Faulty couplers on the Breda cars have been blamed for reduced train capacity, as multiple cars are not able to be coupled together as intended.<ref name="SFmag">{{cite magazine |url=http://modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/can-12-billion-fleet-of-new-trains-finally-save-muni |title=Can a $1.2{{nbsp}}Billion Fleet of New Trains Finally Save Muni? |first=Joe |last=Eskenazi |date=October 2, 2015 |magazine=San Francisco Magazine |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

Muni originally ordered 35 cars from Breda in 1991, and exercised options to add another 116 cars throughout the 1990s, including an option to purchase another 15 cars in 1999.<ref name="SFMTA-2013-02">{{cite web |url=http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/cmta/documents/2-19-13item10.3bredacontractcloseout.pdf |title=Requesting authorization for the Director of Transportation to execute a Closeout and Settlement Agreement with AnsaldoBreda SpA for Contract No. 309, Procurement of Light Rail Vehicles |date=February 11, 2013 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=27 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227230507/http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/cmta/documents/2-19-13item10.3bredacontractcloseout.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name="MoreBreda">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Muni-Investing-in-More-Breda-Streetcars-2934894.php |title=Muni Investing in More Breda Streetcars |first=Edward |last=Epstein |date=April 22, 1999 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> The fleet had 151 LRVs in 2014, all made by Breda.<ref name="Fleet Plan" /><ref name="NewRide">{{cite news |url=http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2013/09/17/new-ride-coming-to-muni-metro/ |title=New ride coming to Muni Metro |first=Michael |last=Cabanatuan |date=September 17, 2013 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> The double-ended cars are {{convert|75|ft|m}} long, {{convert|9|ft|m}} wide, {{convert|11|ft|m}} high, have graffiti-resistant windows, and contain an air-conditioning system to maintain a temperature of {{convert|72|F|C}} inside the car.<ref name="BeefyBreda">{{cite news |last=Salter |first=Stephanie |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Beefy-but-they-whine-3139298.php |title=Beefy, but they whine |newspaper=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |date=January 26, 1997 |access-date=February 15, 2009}}</ref> The Breda cars feature four doors per car, versus three for the Boeing (only the middle two doors of the Boeing cars were available while in the tunnels due to the cars' end curvature).<ref name="NewBreda" /> The initial batch of 136 Breda cars were ordered on contracts exceeding {{US$|320000000|1999}}, for an average per-car cost of {{US$|2350000|1999}}; the option of 15 additional cars was exercised on a contract worth {{US$|42300000|1999}}, making the last batch of 15 cars {{US$|2600000|1999}} each.<ref name="MoreBreda" />

By 2011, the fleet of Breda LRVs was only able to manage a mean distance between failures (MDBF) of {{convert|617|mi}}.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/6-3-14%20Item%2011%20Benchmarking%20presentation_0.pdf#page=15 |title=City Services Benchmarking: Public Transportation |first1=Peg |last1=Stevenson |first2=Joe |last2=Lapka |date=June 3, 2014 |publisher=City Services Auditor, Office of the Controller, City & County of San Francisco |pages=15–17 |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Aaron |last=Bialick |date=June 5, 2014 |title=Muni's Abysmal Breakdown Rate: One Reason SF Needs a Vehicle License Fee |work=Streetsblog SF |url=https://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/06/05/munis-absymal-breakdown-rate-one-reason-sf-needs-a-vehicle-license-fee/ |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref>

The last LRV2 was retired in December 2023.<ref name="ptj2024-3">{{cite magazine |last=McKinney |first=Kevin |date=August 2024 |title=Rush Hour [transit news section] |magazine=[[Passenger Train Journal]] |publisher=White River Productions, Inc. |page=64 |volume=48 |issue=3 – Third quarter 2024 |issn=0160-6913}}</ref> The final regular use of the LRV3 fleet was on November 12, 2025.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/bye-bye-breda-take-last-ride-transit-superstar |title=Bye Bye, Breda: Take a Last Ride on a Transit Superstar |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=November 3, 2025 |first1=Danbee |last1=Song |first2=Melissa |last2=Culross}}</ref>

=== LRV 4: Siemens S200 SF (2017–present) ===
{{main|Siemens S200}}

[[File:Inbound N Judah train boarding at 48th Avenue, September 2019.JPG|thumb|right|LRV4 train on the N Judah line]]
[[File:Muni Siemens S200 Interior.jpg|thumb|LRV4 interior, with a mixed seating arrangement]]
With the Breda cars growing increasingly unreliable and the system expanding with the construction of the [[Central Subway (San Francisco)|Central Subway]], Muni requested bids for a new generation of light rail vehicles. Muni prequalified [[Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles|CAF]], [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company|Kawasaki]] and [[Siemens Mobility|Siemens]] to bid on the request while Breda was disqualified based on a ranking of potential bidders.<ref name="NewRide" />

The contract was awarded to Siemens for the purchase of up to 260 cars to be delivered in three phases: the initial firm order of 24 cars would accommodate the Central Subway; the next firm order of 151 cars would replace all of the Breda vehicles and an option to purchase up to 85 additional cars, funding permitting, to accommodate projected ridership growth through 2040.<ref name="1.2Bil">{{cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=July 16, 2014 |title=$1.2{{nbsp}}billion contract OKd for new Muni Metro light-rail cars|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc.|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1-2-billion-contract-OKd-for-new-Muni-Metro-5623934.php|access-date=July 17, 2014}}</ref><ref name="NewRide" /> A grant of $41{{nbsp}}million from the California Transportation Agency awarded on July 2, 2015, allowed Muni to purchase 40 additional Siemens light rail vehicles.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chinn |first1=Jerold |date=July 2, 2015 |title=Muni secures $41{{nbsp}}million for new Metro trains|url=http://sfbay.ca/2015/07/02/muni-secures-41-million-for-new-metro-trains/|access-date=July 2, 2015}}</ref>

Upon awarding the contract, Muni officials cited several lessons learned from the prior Breda contract, including not buying enough cars, dictating too much of the design, lax reliability requirements and a failure to account for maintenance costs.<ref name="1.2Bil" /> The {{US$|648000000|2014}} contract for 175 cars (the first two phases) was signed by Mayor Ed Lee in September 2014, making the cost of each car approximately {{US$|3700000|2014}}.<ref name="SFC-140920">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mayor-signs-deal-for-new-fleet-of-Muni-Metro-5767965.php |title=Mayor signs deal for new fleet of Muni Metro railcars |first=Michael |last=Cabanatuan |date=September 20, 2014 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

Muni ultimately purchased 249 vehicles: the 175 cars from the first two phases, 44 additional cars,<ref name="Kirschbaum-2019-11">{{cite report |url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2019/11/11-19-19_item_12_contract_modification_-_lrv4_-_slide_presentation.pdf |title=LRV4 Project Update |first=Julie |last=Kirschbaum |date=November 19, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref> and surplus 30 cars were contracted in 2021.

====Design====
Siemens has named the new Muni cars the S200 SF while the SFMTA refers to them as the LRV4. They operate at speeds of up to {{convert|50|mph}}.<ref name="S200SFspec">{{cite web |url=http://preview.thenewsmarket.com/Previews/SIMS/DocumentAssets/346338.pdf |title=S200 SF Light Rail Vehicle |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line--> |date=May 2015 |publisher=Siemens Industry, Inc.; Rolling Stock Division |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> The S200 SF is {{convert|75|ft}} long, {{convert|8|ft|8.32|in|sigfig=3}} wide, {{convert|11|ft|6|in}} high (with the pantograph locked down), and weighs {{convert|78,770|lb}}, making it comparable in size and weight to the existing Breda cars.<ref name="S200SFspec" /> The expected maximum capacity is 203 passengers per car.<ref name="S200SFspec" /> They are expected to have the same coupling device as the Breda cars; however, the new Siemens trains can couple up to five cars at a time.<ref name="Fleet Plan" /><ref name="1.2Bil" /><ref name="S200SFspec" /> The new S200 SF vehicles are projected to be able to run {{convert|59000|mi}} between maintenance intervals.<ref name="FirstFleet" /> Initially, the new cars had a mean distance between failures (MDBF) of {{convert|3300|mi}} shortly after being delivered; by August 2019, the MDBF had improved to {{convert|8000|mi}}.<ref name="SFE-190924">{{cite news |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/new-muni-trains-breaking-down-far-less-often/ |title=New Muni trains breaking down far less often |first=Joe Fitzgerald |last=Rodriguez |date=September 24, 2019 |newspaper=San Francisco Examiner |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref>

====Service history====
Siemens publicly unveiled a full-size mockup of the S200 SF in San Francisco on June 16, 2015.<ref name="RailwayAge">{{cite web |last1=Vantuono |first1=William C. |date=June 16, 2015 |title=Siemens S200 SF previews in San Francisco; more LRVs ordered |url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/light-rail/siemens-s200-sf-previews-in-san-francisco-more-lrvs-ordered.html |access-date=August 27, 2015 |website=Railway Age}}</ref> The first car was delivered from the Siemens plant in Sacramento to San Francisco on January 13, 2017. A test car passed a [[California Public Utilities Commission|CPUC]] regulatory inspection in early November 2017 and car #2006 was the first LRV to enter revenue service on November 17, 2017, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at [[Duboce and Church station|Duboce and Church]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/New-muni-train-san-francisco-quieter-space-12366662.php |title=New Muni train, designed to be quieter and more spacious, hit San Francisco streets |first=Michelle |last=Robertson |date=November 17, 2017 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref>

The first 68 cars were used to expand the Muni fleet to 219 cars and once the fleet reached that total in October 2019, Breda cars would be retired as new Siemens cars are accepted.<ref name="ReadyRoll">{{cite news |first=Walter |last=Thompson |date=May 18, 2016 |title=These new Muni Metro cars should be ready to roll next year |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/local/article/These-new-Muni-metro-cars-may-be-ready-to-roll-7645871.php |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Kirschbaum-2019-11" />

It is expected that deliveries of cars will continue through 2028.<ref name="FirstFleet">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/First-in-a-fleet-of-new-Muni-Metro-car-arrives-in-10856325.php |title=First in fleet of new Muni Metro car arrives in San Francisco |first=Steve |last=Rubenstein |date=January 13, 2017 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

== Fares and operations ==
[[File:Muni Metro faregates at Embarcadero station, November 2018.jpg|thumb|right|Muni Metro faregates at Embarcadero station]]
Muni Metro runs from approximately 5&nbsp;am to 1&nbsp;am weekdays, with later start times of 7&nbsp;am on Saturday and 8&nbsp;am on Sunday.<ref name="metroservicetimes">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/metro.htm#metro |title=Muni Metro Service |access-date=January 20, 2007 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency}}</ref> [[Night bus|Owl service]], or late-night service, is provided along much of the L and N lines by buses that bear the same route designation.<ref name="metroservicetimes" />

The cash fare for Muni Metro, like Muni buses, effective January 1, 2020, is $3 for adults and $1.50 for seniors, and the disabled, and free for youths 5–19. [[Clipper card|Clipper]] and MuniMobile fares are lower than cash fares. Their fares are $2.85 for adults. For all people aged 19 and under, service is free.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/fares |title = Fares {{!}} SFMTA| date=May 2, 2017 }}</ref>

Muni currently operates a Free Muni for Seniors program that provides low- and moderate-income seniors residing in San Francisco free access to all Muni transit services, including Muni's cable cars. Free Muni is open to all San Francisco senior Clipper card holders, ages 65 and over, with a gross annual family income at or below 100 percent of the Bay Area median income level (qualifying income levels are posted on the program's web page). Enrollment is not automatic. To participate in the program, a qualified senior must have or obtain a Clipper card and submit an application either online or by mail.

Like Muni buses, the Muni Metro operates on a proof-of-payment system;<ref name="POP">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/pop.htm |title=Proof of Payment |access-date=February 14, 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |date=February 4, 2008}}</ref> on paying a fare, the passenger will receive a ticket good for travel on any bus, historic streetcar, or Metro vehicle for 120 minutes.<ref name="metrofares">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/basic.htm |title=Fares and Sales |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205164006/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/basic.htm|archive-date=2007-02-05|url-status=dead |access-date=June 27, 2017}}</ref> Payment methods depend on boarding location. On surface street sections in the south and west of the city, passengers must board at the front of the train and pay their fare to the train operator to receive their ticket; those who already have a ticket, or who have a daily, weekly, or monthly pass, can board at any door of the Metro streetcar.<ref name="POP" /> Subway stations have controlled entries via [[turnstile|faregate]]s, and passengers usually purchase or show Muni staff a ticket in order to enter the platform area. Faregates closest to an unmanned Muni staff booth open automatically if a passenger has a valid pass or transfer that cannot be scanned.<ref name="POP" /> Muni's fare inspectors may board trains at any time to check for proof of payment from passengers.<ref name="POP" />

All cars are also equipped with [[Clipper card]] readers near each entrance, which riders may use to tag their cards to pay their fare. The cards themselves are then used as proof of payment; fare inspectors carry handheld card readers that can verify that payment was made. In subway stations, riders instead tag their cards on the faregates to gain access to the platforms.

== See also ==
{{colbegin}}
* [[Market Street Railway (nonprofit)|Market Street Railway]] and other rail lines operated by MUNI:
** [[E Embarcadero]] line
** [[F Market & Wharves]] line
** [[San Francisco cable car system]]
* [[SelTrac]], the [[Automatic Train Control|automated train]] system used in the Market Street subway
* [[Light rail in the United States]]
* [[Streetcars in North America]]
* [[List of United States light rail systems by ridership]]
* [[List of North American light rail systems by ridership]]
* [[List of California railroads]]
* [[List of tram and light rail transit systems]]
{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist-ua}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Attached KML |display=title,inline}}
{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.sfog.us/sfmuni.htm Muni Metro performance statistics]
*[http://sfmunicentral.com/Enterprise/MetroLO.htm – Live display of trains in the subway]

{{Muni}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Public Transit}}
{{USLightRail}}
{{North American legacy streetcar systems}}
{{California railroads}}

[[Category:Muni Metro]]
[[Category:San Francisco Municipal Railway]]
[[Category:Light rail in California]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in California]]
[[Category:Public transportation in San Francisco]]
[[Category:600 V DC railway electrification]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in California]]