As of mid-January, the SFMTA suggested that the N-Judah could finally re-enter service this month or next. But no. Now it looks like May.
Some Muni light rail services came back to life in December and January, but only parts of the lines running above ground – including J Church, which no longer goes underground and ends at Church and Duboce. Finally, we heard that more trains would start running in February or March. But now the Chronicle, via a slideshow of transportation performance to be presented to the SFMTA board of directors on Tuesday, is reporting that “May” is the new scheduled timetable for the return of the metro lines on the N-Judah and T-Third. lines, with no specific date given and no dates for the return of K, L or M trains.
What is holding back the return of metro train services appears to be mainly maintenance projects, including “grinding” that has not yet started and will take eight weeks, Transit Director Julie Kirschbaum said in the presentation. Several projects have been completed in the train tunnels while the trains were not running, including the installation of a new Wi-Fi system, the removal of an obsolete signaling system and the system-wide replacement of metal splits – connectors between overhead power lines – that followed the discovery of a batch of faulty connections that broke last August, hours after the metro returned for the first time in five months.
The other major project that Muni did not know would be involved, the result of a blunder by staff and contractors, was the replacement of ballast rock under the tracks in the Twin Peaks tunnel to be carried out as part of a previous project. two years ago. That project has now also been completed, according to the presentation.
Still striking is a project to replace “switch machines” throughout the system. “Each switch machine requires its own individual installation design,” says the presentation. “Maintenance technology is working on prototyping to speed up design and installation.”
If and when the N-Judah and T-Third lines return in May, the report suggests that the T will end at West Portal station.
Under the newly reconfigured light rail system, the M and T will run as a tandem line – with trains running the T route inward to Third Street and the M route outward to Balboa Park. The J remains above ground and ends at Duboce, and the former K and L routes become a single line that also remains above ground, between Taraval and Balboa Park. K and L drivers wishing to reach the city center must transfer to T or S-Shuttle trains at West Portal.
But it looks more like San Francisco will not get to see how this configuration works in practice until the summer.
According to Kirschbaum’s presentation, an advisor will be engaged to “analyze emerging service patterns and advise on the recovery approach”. Also, she says, the “pace of service recovery” depends on more federal stimulus funds coming to SF.
Earlier: Muni is bringing back T-third train this weekend, some buses; N-Judah may return in February
Photo: Matt Baume