Major S.F. commuter train will soon return to service after five-year hiatus

The L-Taraval Muni Metro Line, a workhorse San Francisco commuter train that runs underground from the Embarcadero through the Twin Peaks Tunnel, then surfaces and rolls down Taraval Street to San Francisco Zoo, will return to normal service on Sept. 28 after being off its track for five years of repairs.

The reopening marks the completion of the L-Taraval Improvement Project, a major rebuild that involved replacing infrastructure on a 2-mile stretch of track. The job, which included replacement of overhead wires that power the trains, was the first substantial rebuild in nearly 50 years.

As part of the job, 22 boarding islands have been either built or extended on the above-ground section of the line so that passengers no longer have to walk into busy Taraval Street to catch a train. Under that system, an average of 10 passengers per year were hit by cars while getting from the curb to the train, according to statistics released by Muni.

As a beautification element, new Muni bus shelters have been constructed and 175 street trees planted along Taraval Street, which has been repaved from curb to curb. When the electric trains run again, service will be every 10 minutes on weekdays, 12 minutes on weekends.


https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/l-taraval-muni-metro-reopens-19768661.php