SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Starting Monday, March 30, there will be no more subway or light rail service in San Francisco.
SFMTA announced Thursday that the new changes are happening in response to a decline in ridership amid the virus pandemic and to “help us focus resources on routes outside of the downtown area.”
Starting Monday, all Muni Metro and light rail routes will be replaced by buses.
Riders can take bus substitutions for the J, KT, L, M, and N lines using the same bus stops as the early morning Metro bus service.
Muni Metro subway stations will be closed, except for downtown stations which will remain open to customers taking BART during operating hours.
“Closing the Muni Metro underground system will allow us to redirect custodial resources to other, higher-use facilities and minimizes risk to our station agents. Based on our ridership data and observations, we do not expect these changes to impact the ability of our riders and operators to maintain social distance. And while the rail system is closed to passengers, we plan on doing important maintenance work to our vehicles and infrastructure. It’s a unique opportunity to improve the state of good repair of our system and come out of this shutdown stronger than ever,” Muni officials said in a statement.
Muni Rapid routes—the 5R, 9R, 28R, and 38R—will also be temporarily discontinued, except for the 14R Mission Rapid.
Riders can instead use local service for all stops during all hours of service.
The 5 Fulton and 9 San Bruno will begin running longer buses to help maintain social distancing for the health care providers, critical service workers and others who still rely on public transit to get around the city for essential needs.
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