John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints
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BART, CalTrain and MUNI, San Francisco Bay Area Public Transport Systems, California
This is NOT the official BART, CalTrain or MUNI web site
BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit
BART is a subway system, primarily used by commuters between the suburbs and the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Like many similar systems in other parts of the world, the tracks in the built-up city centre areas run below ground, while in the outlying suburban areas the tracks run above ground.
From Oakland, on the east side of San Francisco Bay, BART lines radiate out as follows:
- West, under San Francisco Bay, to San Francisco, then southwest to Daly City and Colma. The tracks run through the Transbay Tube, a 3.8 mile long structure built from fifty-seven steel and concrete sections which were lowered into a trench dredged in the Bay. This line has now been extended to San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae (where there is a connection with CalTrain). The line may be extended further south in the future. According to a report in USA Today on 20-Jun-03, the airport BART station was due to open on 22-Jun-03.
- North to Berkeley and Richmond.
- Northeast to Concord and Pittsburg. Part of this line runs in the central reservation (median) of California State Highway 24. There is an intention to extend this line to Antioch but as far as I know construction has yet to be started.
- South-south-east to San Leandro, Hayward and Fremont. There is an intention to extend this line to Warm Springs but I don't think construction has started. There are vague proposals to eventually extend this line south to Milpitas and San Jose.
- East from Hayward to Dublin and Pleasanton. Part of this line runs in the central reservation (median) of I-580. There is a vague proposal to extend this line east to Livermore.
There are no BART lines to the Marin peninsula, nor I believe are there anything other the vaguest of proposals to build any such lines.
In Nov-02 the BART routes were as follows. Presumably the relevant routes have now been extended to the airport and Millbrae.
- Richmond to Daly City (and Colma during rush hours).
- Fremont to Daly City.
- Richmond to Fremont.
- Pittsburg/Bay Point to Colma.
- Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City.
- For other journeys at least one change will be necessary.
I have not personally researched the feasibility of parking at a suitable BART station and using the system as a means of reaching San Francisco for visiting tourists. It is an interesting possibility for those less than enthusiastic at the prospect of driving and parking in the city, as all-day parking at almost all outlying BART stations is free. However, I have read warnings that the station car parks have a limited number of spaces and fill up quickly.
CalTrain
CalTrain operate a passenger railway service between San Francisco and San Jose, California with a limited service to Gilroy. In Nov-02 there were free shuttle buses between the Millbrae CalTrain station and San Francisco International Airport. However, now that the BART line has been extended to the airport and Millbrae these may have been phased out. There are also free shuttle buses between the Santa Clara CalTrain station and San Jose International Airport. All-day car parking is available at most CalTrain stations for $1.50 (as at Nov-02).
MUNI
As well as the BART and CalTrain systems, there is also another underground railway system serving San Francisco, called MUNI Metro. MUNI is an abbreviation of San Francisco Municipal Railway. MUNI Metro and BART share four stations (with separate tracks and platforms) on Market Street in San Francisco. MUNI Metro's core line runs through these Market Street stations and then continues roughly southwest, exiting its tunnel at the "West Portal" near Twin Peaks. Six other MUNI Metro lines branch off from the core line at various places, all except one located southwest of the West Portal. Most of these other lines run above ground for their entire length.
MUNI is also responsible for all the bus, trolley-bus and historic cable-car services in San Francisco, as well as running a fleet of vintage streetcars.
The cable-cars are streetcars propelled by means of moving cables, not ski-lifts as the name might imply to British visitors. There are three historic cable-car lines:
- The California Street Line runs along California Street from near the Embarcadero (the road which runs along the waterfront) and the Ferry Building, westwards to its junction with Van Ness Avenue.
- The Powell-Hyde Line runs from the junction of Powell Street and Market Street, northwards along Powell Street, westwards for five blocks along Jackson Street, then along Hyde Street to finish very close to Fisherman's Wharf. It passes one end of the famous crookedest section of Lombard Street. The return journey is almost identical, except that the eastwards section runs along Washington Street which is one block south of Jackson Street.
- The Powell-Mason Line initially shares tracks with the Powell-Hyde Line, running from the junction of Powell Street and Market Street, northwards along Powell Street, westwards for one block along Jackson Street, then separating from the Powell-Hyde Line and running northwards along Mason Street, northwest one block along Columbus Avenue, and finally northwards along Taylor Street to finish about three blocks short of the waterfront. The return route is identical except for the eastwards section being along Washington Street instead of Jackson Street.
There is also a short length of cable-car track along Hyde Street between its junctions with Washington and California Streets. This appears to be used purely as a means for the California Street Line cable-cars to get to and from the cable-car barn when going off and on duty.
The California Street Line crosses the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde Lines at the junction of California Street and Powell Street, but there don't appear to be any points there which would allow cable-cars to switch tracks. Indeed, how the moving cable system which drives the cable-cars accommodates turns, points and crossings is a mystery to me.
The Cable Car Barn and Museum is located at the junction of Mason Street and Washington Street, three blocks north and one block west of the California Street and Powell Street intersection. When the museum is open the cable-pulling system can be seen in operation.
Acknowledgement
My grateful thanks to Matt Hungerford of San Francisco who kindly provided some of the information on this page.
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Most recently modified 27-Jun-03