For the second time in the last ten years, the City of Oakland is initiating a study to look into the feasibility and potential economic-development opportunities that would come from a streetcar line connecting Jack London Square with Oakland's Uptown and MacArthur BART. They got a $300,000 grant from CalTrans last year for the updated study, which repeats similar studies done between 2003 and 2005. more ›

As you may know, BART is getting set to lay out an enormous amount of cash on a new fleet of 775 rail cars, and the price tag keeps going up. Matier & Ross prick up their ears today at hearing that not only will the new cars cost something like $5 million apiece, but all that money will be spent in foreign countries. Of the five companies that bid for the work, none of them are located in the U.S., and the three finalists are in South Korea, France, and Canada. more ›

We're starting to wonder if this whole high-speed rail thing is just a pipe-dream we'll tell our grandkids about when they ask why they still have to drive up and down I-5 to get to L.A. more ›

Nat Ford might be out at Muni, but as Chronicle super sleuths Matier and Ross report this morning, the much-loathed golden parachutist could be in the running to fill a vacancy as BART's general manager. more ›

Edging ever closer to omnipotence, the big G has added real-time transit data to Google Maps. If you've ever tried to catch a bus or BART train based on Google's arrival in the past you probably noticed that those times were based off of scheduled arrivals, which we all know is a big cosmic joke when you're talking about Muni and BART. To fix that, Google has partnered with transit agencies in transit-geek cities like San Francisco, Boston, Portland, San Diego, Madrid and Turin. more ›

The Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde, and California cable car lines will be shut down today through Sunday for "repairs and upgrades" as part of the SFMTA Cable Car Improvement Project. SF Appeal notes: "Muni shuttle buses will operate along the cable car routes with all regular, accessible stops available for passengers." Please be advised. more ›

This afternoon, a spokesperson for the Local 205-A Muni Operators Union told the press that the operators have agreed to allow a strike if negotiations with the MTA continue without compromise. Muni's current PR flack Charlie Goodyear told the press that the union's contract is still being discussed despite the vote and "talks are progressing", so there are no immediate threats to call a strike. City Attorney Dennis Herrera has already posted a statement saying his office "will take appropriate legal recourse" if a potential strike looks like it will significantly disrupt public transportation. [SFAppeal] more ›

Way back in the heady days of 2006, when Muni actually wanted to know what riders thought about things like the frequency of buses during rush hour, the SFMTA launched the Transit Effectiveness Plan to study what would - well, make Muni more effective. Unfortunately, the whole thing was short-turned when the agency figured out they were broke in 2008 and instead of using the plan's recommendations to improve service, the TEP was used to decide which routes would get service cuts like those we saw a year ago. Today, however, the agency has decided to bring back the recommendations from the Transit Effectiveness Plan, whether or not they actually have the money for it. more ›

On the heels of two Muni messes, SFist's Leanne Maxwell tell us about another meltdown currently in progress. A broken-down inbound train in the tunnel between Duboce and Van Ness is causing delays this afternoon. 511 reports, "On Wednesday, March 9th, at 4:05pm, SF Muni reports Inbound delays on the L-Line at Van Ness Station due to mechanical problem." more ›

KRON 4 Morning News reports that Muni is having major delays throughout the city on all metro lines. What's the cause of the problem? Not sure yet. However, commuters are reporting delays of up to 30 minutes. We'll update as soon as we know more. Until then, so sorry, Muni commuters. Feel free to share with us your commuting stories in the comments. more ›

Security has been "amplified" at the Redwood City Caltrain station after a man was brutal beaten by a group of people on Friday night. "Between nine and 15 suspects attacked a 47-year-old San Jose man in an attempt to rob him at about 7:30 p.m.," reports KTVU. "The man, who was waiting for a southbound train, was beaten and left on the ground after the attack. No weapons were seen during the scuffle." Anyone with information is asked to call San Mateo Country Transit Police at 650-363-4943.or Detective Victor Lopez at 650-622-8048. [KTVU] more ›

For your reading pleasure, yet another Weiner story: At today's Board of Supervisor's meeting, D8 Supervisor Scott Weiner will introduce "a resolution in support of a proposal by the Municipal Transportation Agency to increase the number of taxis on San Francisco’s streets during peak hours." Why? Because we need more cabs. And how. more ›

After "recovering from a major problem" at the 24th Street Station, your morning BAR commute will see delays of up to 15 minutes for all East Bay-bound trains. "Service should be back to normal by 9 a.m." [Chron] more ›

Using his own black-and-white photography and footage, David C. Hill created this poignant video about the San Francisco Transbay Terminal demolition, which kicked off on December 3. more ›

Your super crowded and sporadic bus line just might get closer to the way it was before those nasty service cuts took place in May. (Unless the whole line was cut, of course. RIP, 26 Valencia and 4 Sutter, etc.) Newsom announced yesterday that SFMTA will restore more than 178,000 service hours across the city's transit system by September 4. more ›

Many of BART's 355,000 daily commuters are still unaware that the agency might go on strike next week, which would cause quite a meltdown throughout the Bay Area. more ›

Be sure to check out Muni's Bay to Breakers schedules and routes before the inebriation sets in. The lowdown is after the jump. And remember, the below buses will cost you a special events fare of $7, which is valid until 5 p.m. View a large version of Muni's B2B route map. And here is a zoomable PDF version. more ›

SFist loves cameras. Public, private, wherever, whenever -- we want them up, we want them rolling. So, we were tickled exuberant after hearing that San Francisco transit officials plan to install continuously-running cameras on Muni buses. The cameras would "trigger an alert every time a driver hits the brakes hard, swerves or gets into a collision," according to reports, and be placed inside and outside buses. If all goes according to plan, they will capture electrifying footage like this. more ›

Either you . more ›

A few things: more ›

Although trains are running slowly as of 2:30 p.m., CalTrain is expected to return to normal by this evening's commute. If you recall, all choo-choos came to a halt this morning after a "system-wide signal interruption." As an extended olive branch, CalTrain will offer riders free rides for the rest of the day. Rides will be on the house until 1:30 a.m. Friday. Also, Caltrain tickets can be honored on SamTrans buses and on VTA routes 22 and 522. (Can you imagine if Muni started being this kind to riders? They'd be in financial ruins in less that a week. Well, more than they already are, that is.) more ›

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced yesterday that the feds have given the much-needed Central Subway its final environmental clearance. Praise God. more ›

Is it too much to ask that NextBus cope with the daylight savings time-change? Our wristwatch can figure it out, but apparently it's simply too much for NextBus to comprehend. So on Saturday night, there was a complete blackout of arrival predictions; not just for San Francisco, but for all NextBus clients in the US and Canada. Luckily, you could still get scheduled arrival times by calling 311. more ›

Did somebody at 511.org just accidentally their website? According to an alert, you can now real-time Muni train information. Hey, that's! more ›

It's not often we get to say it, so let's relish the feeling: yay Muni! Today, Muni boss Nat Ford joined a bunch of other transit officials in making some nice suggestions for the future of federal transportation planning. And you know what, it actually looks pretty good. more ›

We all had a great time piling on Muni last weekend, foaming and ranting about service to and from the park. But what was going on behind the scenes? We asked Muni how they strategized their service around Outside Lands. Here's what they had to say: more ›

Mystery solved! Probably! Thanks our perceptive readers, we have learned what was maybe on the mind of the lady we posted about yesterday, the one who was gently blocking access to an empty seat. Also, we've learned that SFist readers are violent, flatulent racists. more ›

Four people were hurt after a cable car derailed last night at Washington and Powell streets. (Check out this image of the car off its tracks. So wrong!) A little before midnight last night, a cable car jumped the tracks as it was turning onto Powell Street. Three passengers were sent to the hospital for minor injuries, and "one man appeared to have a broken leg." Egads. Anyway, the cause of the accident is still under investigation. more ›

Did you know that the Taxi Commission is going to be transferring their duties over to the SFMTA (the blob that runs Muni, parking meters, traffic lights, and stuff like that)? By consolidating all of SF's ground transportation under one agency, the MTA can ensure that all trips throughout the city are slow, unreliable, and involve a minimum of 75% surliness. (SF's taxi-surliness index is currently hovering just under 60%.) more ›

Taken at the Civic Center station, this (bloodied) gentleman came off an inbound train early this morning and collapsed. Anyone know what happened? Is he OK? Poor guy. more ›