Major Muni Metro Delays From Castro Station – Update


Photo by Chris Rogers

Update:

2:52 p.m.:

The latest from SFMTA:

As of 2 p.m., crews are still on the scene at Castro Station assessing the damage to the vehicle and the infrastructure, making the necessary repairs and working to restore normal operations.

Inbound (toward downtown) Muni Metro service may be slower than normal, but is operational.

The N Judah and J Church lines are operating normally.

Muni Metro customers traveling outbound from downtown should expect delays. The K Ingleside, L Taraval and M Ocean View lines are still switching back outbound (away from downtown) to inbound (towards downtown) at Castro Station.

Bus shuttles continue in operation between Castro and West Portal stations for customers traveling outbound in the subway past Castro Station on the K, L or M lines. West of West Portal station, Muni Metro light rail vehicles (LRV) continue in service.

10:30 a.m.:
On Twitter, @dbrownusc took a photo of the crowd waiting for the shuttle at the West Portal station.


Photo by @dbrownusc

9:32 a.m.: Word from SFMTA:

As of 9 a.m., trains on the M Ocean View, L Taraval and K Ingleside lines traveling outbound at Castro station will have to switchback outbound to inbound. Bus shuttles are operating between West Portal and Castro stations.

The N Judah and J Church lines are operating on their normal routes, but are moving slowly.

Outbound service won’t likely resume for another four hours, reports SF Examiner and SFAppeal.

9:26 a.m.: Some outbound services have been restored after this morning’s derailment outside of the Castro station at 7:39 a.m., but there are still major delays all morning. Currently the outbound trains are running only to Castro Station (@francesabc7). Bus bridges are still in place between Castro and West Portal stations in both directions.

Riders are understandably irate, with an epic argument on the bus (@imkj), body slamming, and major f-bombs (@Chanslor). Were you on or near the derailed train outside the Castro station this morning? Let us know.

9:15 a.m.: From ABC7’s traffic reporter Frances Dinglasa on Twitter @francesabc7:

Paul Rose, MUNI spokesperson, said some OB service restored. but there are still major delays expected all morning.

Original post:

8:51 a.m.: A derailment outside the Castro Station this morning is causing major Muni delays all over town, reports various media sources and Twitter. According to Transit 511 and the KQED blog:

On Friday, February 11th at 7:39am, SF Muni reports a derailment of an SF Muni train on the outbound portion at the Castro Street platform. Currently there are 16 shuttles secured to operate from Van Ness and Market to West Portal, and shuttles are being sent to the M, L and K lines

Trains are still not heading outbound, and SFMTA has not released information about the cause of the derailment, KTVU and SFAppeal report.

“No direct Muni Metro service past Church St station. Muni running coaches West Portal to Van Ness. Inbound service is also subject to delays,” according to KCBS on Twitter.

We’ll keep you posted on the progress here and on Twitter. Please comment or @ us on Twitter (@munidiaries) to let us know if you have information from your commute this morning.

Single-Spotting on Muni and BART

*giggle*
Photo by blarfiejandro

Emily Ostendorf had an idea about how to facilitate singles meeting each other on BART. She’s calling her idea “Singled Out on BART.” How does it work?

This Valentine’s Day—Monday, February 14—indicate your unattached status (and willingness to be approached) by tying a ribbon around your ring finger: pink if you’re looking for a woman, blue if you’re looking for a man. Look for others wearing ribbons and make a connection.

Hmmm idea! It’s like a cute version of the jelly bracelet (remember those?). What do you think? Would you do this on Muni? Not everyone has Wil’s gumption to approach a beautiful girl on the bus, so maybe with a little ribbon, we can have a little fun on our Monday commute…

Muni Is Number 6, Baby!

Outside From Above
Photo by Troy Holden

For all its ups and downs, Muni just ranked number six in the nation’s best public transportation systems, behind cities like New York (ok, fine) and Salt Lake City (say what?). SF Examiner brings us the news from U.S. News and World Report — the ranking is based on “transportation investment, ridership, and safety criteria.” Number six doesn’t sound too bad to me.

But the U.S. News and World Report ranking has San Francisco just above Los Angeles! That’s terrible and depressing.

The whole enchilada:

1. Portland, OR

2. Salt Lake City

3. New York

4. Boston

5. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

6. San Francisco

7. Los Angeles

8. Honolulu

9 (tie). Denver

9 (tie). Austin

Neo-Vaudeville on the 38-Geary

In his effort to ride all the Muni lines in the city, Gabriel Wheeler of Destination Nowhere asked his friend Audra Wolfmannn to come for a ride on the 38-Geary. Instead, her alter ego Odessa Lil showed up.

Odessa Lil is MC for hire. She hosts many a burlesque show, but does not limit herself to one calling. She will do weddings, divorces , Bar Mitzvahs, funerals, just ask!

RIding with Odessa Lil on the 38-Geary was a riot. We started near the Safeway off of the Pacific Coast Highway, where Playland at the Beach used to be. All the locals and tourists seemed intrigued by her beauty and intimidated by her riding crop. I was impressed how most people kept it to stolen glances. I did not see any out right gawkers nor did we have to contend with any colorful SF personalities (for better or for worse).

Our first stop was Trader Sams where we indulged in some delicious cocktails. Odessa Lil kindly posed for photos with the bar’s patrons, the bartender, and the pinball machine.

Later we found ourselves at the old Transbay Terminal (R.I.P.). It was very sullen and full of homeless residents. It had an air of danger so we did not linger too long, but I snapped some good shots without any incident.

We ended our day at Union Square where Odessa Lil put her riding crop to good use by spanking some willing tourists and posing for more photos. It was an 8-hour adventure I’ll never forget.

I have done about 27 or so of these rides and each one is just as exciting as the last. But so far Odessa Lil has been the most colorful. Check my blog for new updates as I continue to explore San Francisco via Muni.

Thanks, Gabriel!

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