They removed the central subway TBMs near to washington square, so the tunnel already exists to north beach. Fitting it for trains'll cost a bit more. The real problem is getting it back above grade for the marina district

As a resident of The City and a transit nerd, I'm glad to have stumbled upon a beautiful video about our transit system!

I only visited San Francisco once. Around 20 years ago. I loved the random mix of transport. I took buses, the MUNI, Caltrain and BART. It was fun!

I LOVE how you go through every station in these videos! Please never stop that dedication, it is so enjoyable to have so much detail.

One thing i love about S.F. transit is that even though they took the Metro trains underground and off of Market St., they still utilize their Market St. tracks by running several Street Car lines on them now, the street cars they run other than having the same gage are all different types and styles from several eras, they purchased old street cars from L.A., Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia and a couple other cities, they've all been restored, modified and updated, and not one has the same color paint, interior and theme( original cities graphics, Philly, Hollywood, Seattle, etc... themes)

Love that you mentioned the developments around 4th and Brannan station. They are currently constructing a nice 500+ unit condo development at 555 Bryant with space for a tiny cafe and that's the only new construction but we'll need to wait for the other 5-6 projects to become financially viable in this economy. Also - small note but you forgot to mention the massive Stonestown development put forth by Brookfield properties! 3k+ units on the existing parking lot. I feel like that's the stuff you dream about at night lol I also had a coffee chat with a transit planner @ SFTMA and it looks like Muni is in the beginning stages of serious long term planning and they are hiring planners to build out muni metro to rival LA / Seattle style development patterns. I actually plan on working as a planner for the agency when I get back from my 3-year stint in Switzerland.. so time will tell.

Great video! Looking forward to the BART one! (You've missed a toooooooooon of new and planned development. But this being San Francisco, there's an enormous amount of stuff going on. And just explaining all the new and planned stuff around the SOMA/FiDi/Embarcadero area would take hours.)

Your videos dig so deep into details! I appreciate your effort, Thanks! 😊

Planning to move to SF and this video unexpectedly becomes one of the best sources for me to know which neighborhood to move too. TY for your service.

I am an old school native of San Francisco. Nice Video. Growing up in the 90z we called it Muni or underground. But each generation is different. I did not know how old Forrest hill was. Crazy! Also- at 11:29 I believe yo said Powell was the last Muni/ Bart shared station. When it is Civic Center that is the last shared muni/Bart station.

Im excited to see that eventual ACE video

This was great! Thx so much for your effort and knowledge. 👍

The SFCTA just had a virtual town hall yesterday about Geary19th Ave Subway and regional connector service project in early planning stages now.

I thought they left the boring machines parked under Washington Square. Personally, I think a BART extension out Gerry and across 19th Ave to Daly City makes the most sense. This would add the whole west side to BART access while ensuring that a blockage on the current BART tracks wouldn't stop service south of Daly City. I like that you mention that one of the selling points of MunitMetro was to remove streetcar tracks from Market Street. Today the tracks extend further at both ends of Market than they did in 1980 when MuniMetro opened.

Very neat overview. Thanks for sharing it. James.

This video is awesome! I hope they keep the T underground in North Beach and Russian Hill until at least Van Ness. After that, it could run in the middle of Lombard/Richardson (that really needs slower speeds & fewer lanes) to the presidio/crissy field area and terminate at the golden gate bridge. That’s probably a huge pipe dream, but I’d love to see it

This video is just so brilliant for someone who is looking to move to SF and wants to find my place in the city

I’m definitely looking forward to the BART and ACE vids, but am also curious about a TOD insight on Capitol Corridor since it’s a state operated intercity service vs a jpb

As someone who loves to visit SF as a tourist, and has gotten pretty adept at navigating the City via MUNI (trains and busses), this video is much appreciated. MUNI is a gem. Especially if you know when rush hour is so you can avoid the sardine-can-like trains... :-) I even keep a Clipper card in my suitcase so I can hop right onto BART from the airport!

After the ACE and BART, maybe you should do the Sacramento RT, because it's closer to San Jose, and you would still have to irate over their parking surface area.

Your ability, subject matter and presentation are all phenomenal. You deserve more views, but I believe they will come

Hey man amazing video! Absolutely love content like this! Btw you forgot to mention the huge development that’s going to happen at stonestown galleria!

I guess you can do the CCJPA (Capitol Corridor) next and ACE ;) 😂❤

its here! excited to watch

Bro this is an excellent Christmas present to wake up to thank you!

What a great and well-researched video! Love the channel!😊

Thank you for making this!

Duboce is pronounced DuBOS not DuBOCHE Before the pandemic, the Parkmerced complex had a proposal for replacing many of their low-rise apartment buildings with denser housing. I thought the proposal had been approved, but nothing has happened that I know of. Funny you should mention the Church & Market Safeway. About 15 years ago, the Safeway Corp proposed redevelopment of the LaPlaya Safeway into a sizable mixed-use development. NIMBYs shut it down HARD and FAST. I saw two very nice Safeway reps present their proposal at a meeting of the Planning Association for the Richmond [District] and could not believe some of the invective-filled arguments that attendees spouted, including one woman who claimed a lifetime right to sunset views from her house. IMO accessibility retrofits are a higher priority than limiting streets to transit-only.

It feels like Stonestown Galleria along the M line has become the most popular it’s ever been in my lifetime, especially since other malls seem to be dying out

Yessirrrrr 🎄🎅🏾

This is a really good video. Thanks!

Currently, SFCTA in conjunction with Link 21 is currently studying BART down Geary and turn down 19th Ave if BART’s 2nd Transbay Tube becomes reality instead of the regional rail (Amtrak/ Caltrain) option

Mind if you would do a follow-up episode of MUNI upon the reopening of the L Taraval line in a few months time?

As a native of San Francisco, I've always called it Muni Metro, but have always thought of the system as light rail, so I can understand your comments at the very beginning. I suppose we call it a metro because Muni "metro" sounds better than Muni "light rail"; rolls off the tongue easier. That's at least why I think we call it that. 😄

Just found you. Good content

The half-sigh in “very much gentrified” - I felt that

3:41 the shot of the Tesla is sooo good

3:15 Back then in the 1910s you could extend rapid transit out to beyond the suburban fringes and in six months have a profitable system running.

Great video, I really enjoyed it! One thing I would add is that Geneva needs BRT lanes like Van Ness at a minimum, even better if one of the three Balboa Park lines (my vote would be the K Ingleside) were extended along Geneva and up Bayshore to the current T Third Sunnydale terminus. This would help better serve the Excelsior and Crocker Amazon areas, Cow Palace, more of Sunnydale and Vistacion Valley, etc.

As a native i appreciate this informative video, awesome work. Let’s get people back in SF

I think it would be pretty cool if the geary line was an actual metro which was fully grade separated and used automated trains such as those on the Vancouver skytrain or Honolulu skyline

I worked in the city on and off since 2016 and it’s nice to catch a light rail into Chinatown and not have to walk. folks before this light rail line was operational there wasn’t a direct line from Caltrain going into Chinatown. You either 40 Line into market to catch an 8 or 8R to get dropped off around Columbus and walk into Chinatown.

Great video! Thanks for making these and looking forward to more in the future. Regarding great cities with urbanism on the west coast 31:43 would you say Portland would qualify? They have a world-class light rail and bus network, great walkable neighborhoods and an amazing park network. Not the same scale as SF - although I’d say both cities facilitate a car-free lifestyle.

Are you gonna make a video about the L Taraval when it reopens from renovations? Apparently they’re trying to give it real platform stations instead of having people cross traffic at each stop

It's weird to hear the Bayshore Station / Sunnydale Visitacion Valley environs described as "walkable." When I rode Caltrain, there was always a conductor who gave some crime stats for the area upon stopping there. I asked him about it, and he said some tourists liked to just pick a station at random to stop at, and this was his way of letting them know that this wasn't the one to pick. As someone who used a bike, I was fine going through the area, but it never seemed like one you'd want to linger in, crime or not.

Bring back H and B! Narrow Geary! Also, I know it's treated as a separate thing, but some coverage of the F line could be worth a mention. The collection of old cars is very cool, but there's a lot to say with how the waterfront is used and a lot to criticize with how Fisherman's Wharf is zoned/used. I think some policies could change to make it still a major attraction while also having more culture locals actually want.

Would love to see Muni or something run out to Fort Mason through that old tunnel. I think the city did a feasibility study on running the historic streetcars out there and found it would be fairly cheap to do.

I think that Geary Blvd has plenty of car and trainsit traffic to justify an underground line that wouldn't COULD go all the way to Cliff House, but I think would be unnecessary. Instead, I suggest a tunnel concurrently serving three-lines/three-letters extension. • Line A: would be run the full length of Geary-essentially the 38R, but complementarily running underground east of 33rd Ave; with a few different options for the western terminus. …… 1. Surface at roughly 33rd Ave and either (a), follow the 38 loop to the VA Hospital, or (b) use the same dedicated lane as the 38R around Point Lobos; …… 2. Surface at 14th Ave, and either (a) or (b) as above; …… 3. Underground all the way, with a simple terminus under the VA hospital. • Line B: would run under Geary to either Stanyon/Arguello, then roughly the Line 28 corridor. It would continue underground south and west, with stations at Fulton St & De Young/Cal Academy. There are a lot of options for the 9th-19th and Judah and Irving area, but for the sake of this post, surface at Martin Luther King Dr./19th/Lincoln to run south to SF State, at least, preferably to BART: Daly City Station. Service along 19th between Lincoln Way and Stonestown Galleria could be underground or surface, likewise any service stretch concurrent with the M Line. The expense of undergrounding the Stonestown stretch would warrant a teaming up of the Mall and SFSU for high density development, to create an urban city center with 10-30 story residential towers, more mixed use, following the hills/mound motif. The reverse justification could be made as well, of growing the Stonestown-SFSU area into a high density area that might also take some pressure off the greater portion of the Outer Sunset to build large eyesores. That said, • Line C would be the least likely to be built; BUT might be a good long-term plan to support densification in pockets without jeopardizing open(ish) space preservation. Basically it would be line 29 converted to rail as a branch of the Geary Tunnel (Richmond Tunnel?), only necessarily underground for the Geary segment, but possibly the whole way for minimizing sound and visual impact while encouraging denser development clusters. I like that it would also connect a few high and middle schools, enhancing the school district's ability to provide magnet programs, as well as promote their use as CCSF remote campuses and community centers. Want to avoid ugly towers that look ridiculously out of place in the Sunset? Develop the infrastructure to mold development. Line C would be a 20-30 year plan sort of project. And is the T LIne ever supposed to connect to the Balboa Park transit locus? It seems crazy that it still doesn't connect properly to Caltrain, nor loop back around so as to create bipolarity ridership.

the L train has been down for WAY too long i live on that line and its been a real annoyance having to take a bus to transfer to a train at west portal. plus it baffles me that as a country we managed to build a rail line from scratch from here to New York in less time than it’s taken to re-lay the track on Taraval i agree too that a line on Geary would be good and maybe in the future one on 19th Ave and in Sunset Boulevard, which possibly could run in a large loop

Great video as usual. One thing I would say, BART is more likely to build its subway on Geary especially with Link21 plans.

lifelong bay area resident. banger vid

Light Metro......"Metrolighter"..........MUNI METROLIGHTER..........."M&M"........... "Hey, guy, let's take the M&M to Fisherman's Wharf...........I like the sound of it.

I like the 38. I think Bart under Geary is the way to go. It was part of the original plan

@9:30, thats not a theoretical transfer to SMART, its actually very possible, & Gives you time for lunch at Larkspur! I took the Bart from Oakland, randomly spend 2 hours in SF riding as many new Bart & Muni trains as I could find, was gonna ride the new "subway" till I realized it had 18 MINUTE HEADWAYS!! & I had just missed a train, so never mind that, hot footed it down to the ferry terminal jumped on a boarding, high speed, ferry to Larkspur, disembarked after a VERY PLEASENT ferry ride in Beautifull weather, then got a sandwich at subway, & Hopped on a train to the (Sanoma County) airport!

I used to drive the Muni tram from 2016-2019 but unfortunately was not able to drive to the Chinatown Station. Did you by chance live in SF too? My favorite line is the M line because students use it to get to the city. I pretty much grew an attraction to the vehicles during my time there. In terms of transit oriented development much of it was preexisting for over 100 years. The houses and flats I know were around since like 1920-50s. I was also a station agent at West Portal station and like it because while the development is old, 100% of it is all ma and pa. You get no chain stores there.

The Safeway on Church and Market is planned to be converted into dense housing. I believe the pandemic had postponed some of the planning, but eventually the plot will consist of a bottom floor Safeway/retail with housing on top.

I like how you played the video in reverse @27:25. 😄

23:50 Assuming money starts falling from the sky. Would like to see some of the street running sections replaced with a sub-surface cut-and-cover tunnels. Beginning with those that do not have a dedicated ROWs and especially on these narrow corridors.

capitol corridor for the encore episode? (e.g. after the lines listed in the video)

I'm sure you know and you did touch on that but just some clarification 1:00 "Why does the city have three rail systems" .. "Isn't BART the city's rapid transit system" ... "Isn't CalTrain the commuter rail system" The "city" does not have three rail systems, they have one, Muni, all the others are run by different agencies not in any way related to San Francisco (BART technically has 1 member on the board with every county gets it's own "representative") BART is a regional system that serves everywhere not San Francisco owned at all, and except for four or so stops it services primarily Market street now it IS an excellent system for getting from any of those four stops to some place near Market very quick, or in my case leaving the city to go to a job, but if you want to go anywhere else in San Francisco it is not very useful at all. While yeah there is the Powell street station which basically is a major junction point with all Muni metro lines, it is not part of Muni's 2 hour transfer window for free transfers, Muni will give you a small discount when you leave BART if you use a Clipper card within an hour but the reverse is not true. But yeah with 50 stations BART primarily is a way to link the regions counties together, well except the NIMBY San Mateo & Marin county residents (Marin Co. at least gets a pass for it being infeasible to get trains there). And lastly Caltrain too is basically a dump off spot that isn't particularly useful consider where they drop passengers off unless you're going to a Giants game or happen to work around the station. I mean again you can hit Caltrain, then hop on the T-line to get to Powell and any other line and get a small discount on the Muni fare but once you start doing that your commute really starts to get overly long. Great video though, I felt odd watching it because it's like watching a documentary about "me" but it was nicely done.

There's nothing odd about having multiple rail systems. Paris, where I live, has : The famous Metro with 14 main lines, 2 "bis" lines (shorter connector lines) and 4 new major ones being built as part of the humongous expansion that is the Grand Paris Express (plus a 5th GPE line / 19th main metro line officially proposed recently). The RER, which is a cross regional heavy metro with 5 huge lines that branch to multiple destinations, some quite far out, with some lines over a million daily ridership. The Tramway, with 14 lines, all outside the core or grazing it, allowing for suburbs to suburbs transit. The Transilien lines, which are suburban train lines ending in mainline train station terminals in the core city. London has : The famous Underground. The Overground. The DLR, serving mostly the Docklands, East of the core. The Elizabeth line or Crossrail, a RER like express heavy metro line crossing the city East-West with far reaching branches. Suburban trains ending in core mainline terminals. And a Tramway line in the Southern suburbs. Tokyo has a bunch of different systems, from metro to suburban, monorail, etc. Multiple systems are a great asset when they are intertwined intelligently and complement each other, offering a range of speeds and huge capacity. A "one-size fits all" system doesn't really exist, multiple complementary systems enable each to focus on what they each do best.

11:25 Did you accidentally cut the section about Civic Center?

I love Leo ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

31:42 Portland and Seattle have strong urbanist efforts and communities too. Vancouver BC is a N American urbanist meme

It's a weird tram. But San Francisco needs better metro coverage, whether by BART or a proper Muni Metro with big trains.

The new housing in Soma isn't actually building housing to address the housing crisis, many of them will sit vacant and are essentially just physical manifestations of investment. They have "value" financially but not as housing for real people. When it comes to fixing the housing crisis, simply increasing the number of "housing units" is not the solution if the properties are luxury or used for investment first. These towers are just investments for rich property developers, not really "housing".

I used to be of your mindset - using my - thought to be common sense - descriptions to systems, regardless of what they brand themselves. But seeing how widely different they can be, now I'm more like 'let it be'. If they call it a 'metro', I'm fine with it. I just make an asterisk in my head, that it's much more like a tram, etc.

My biggest gripe with the metro is that they don’t allow bikes for some reason😅

bro you're only 22?! so sick man keep it up but fo real tho you butchered Duboce (duh-BOWS or dew-BOWS)

I honestly consider Muni metro to be a streetcar, like the Philly Trollies

The one thing it doesn't do is go anywhere fast

CORPORATE STONEHENGE

"promosm"

*Hits crack pipe* Ok listen up. Fuck surface running the Muni Metro on Geary. Do a cut and cover subway. Geary is wide enough to handle it. You could even quad track the whole line past Van Ness. *hits crack piped again* Ok bitchez, check this out. Get Siemens, Hitachi or Alstom to make a version of their automated trains with the same loading gauge and signaling as the rest of Muni. There you go. You now have a turn key fully automated light metro with quad track express services. All that’s left is to install some pre-fabricated station boxes under ground with platform screen doors and extra elevators for accessibility, and there you go. Now there’s a real “metro” in the Muni metro 💨💨💨

Man, San Francisco is one garbage and disappointing city, especially the transit systems and TOD my god. But still, great video, love your editing choices too.

The headway times on Muni are atrocious and make the system nearly unusable, live on the N Judah and you’ll just get a car or ride a bike instead, it’s uselessly slow.