Land Use Committee Meeting re T-Third Turnaround

Land Use Committee Meeting
Re: T-Third Service Upgrades and Short-Loop Service
July 7, 2014 from 1pm to 2pm
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
Likely in Room 263, but this needs to be confirmed

As has been planned since the T-Third was conceived, SFMTA is planning to create a turnaround loop at 18th, Illinois, and 19th streets.  This loop will be used to allow for the addition of a short-loop shuttle-like service, similar to the Castro Shuttle, that would integrate with existing service and run from Chinatown to the loop at the north end of Dogpatch.

While this new 7-8 minute headway, short-loop service will not bring passengers into the heart of Dogpatch, the existing long-line service that will continue to operate as it does today, but with an improved service goal of 9-minutes between trains, will bring people to where they need to go.  Most importantly, it will STOP random, unscheduled switchbacks resulting from  the need for a train in the heart of the city during rush hour.  Instead, we'll have scheduled, predictable service that will allow passengers to reliably (within the bounds of MUNI, of course) know where the train they're on is heading.

This turnaround has been discussed at a series of community events and its benefits explained quite well by SFMTA.  The turn-around at 18th and 19th St will make the T more flexible, allowing for disabled trains to be taken off the main track if necessary.  It also allows for implementation of a possible "E" line of historic trolley cars (similar to the F).

Funding is in place for construction of the loop, which has been part of the T-line's design since the outset.  Tracks are already in-place on 18th and 19th, and only need to be connected to one another along Illinois.  The turnaround will allow for improved service sooner rather than later.  That there is money for it means we'll get that improved service in our lifetime.

Finishing this phase of the T-Third does not preclude putting a turnaround farther down the line if it is deemed one is necessary.  However, killing the loop means that we are left with the status quo, trains that make unscheduled switchbacks, stranding passengers.  If you want that, then oppose the turnaround.

MUNI LRV Performance Report Spring 2011

Rail System Characteristics

• 6 routes (J,K,L,M,N,T)
• K and T interlined
• 114 peak period weekday trains scheduled
• Approximately 140,000 boardings per weekday
• 23% of total Muni boardings
• On-street and subway operation
• Level of transit priority ranges from exclusive subway to dedicated surface lane to mixed traffic
• On-time performance impacted by mixed-traffic and all routes converging in Muni Metro tunnel

Rail Service Overview– Spring 2011

• Operator shortages and vehicle breakdowns significantly impacted rail performance in Spring 2011
• On-time performance and missed runs resulted from both manpower and vehicle issues
• Baseball and other special events increased demand on rail service
• Range of line management techniques used to manage gaps in service
• SFMTA has a policy of not switching back trains unless another train is following within 5 min
• Key actions taken to improve service for Muni rail customers 

Actions Taken to Improve LRV Service

• Operations
• Line Management Center monitoring hours expanded to manage breakdowns, delays in service, operator performance
• Operator hiring accelerated and supplemented by Prop F workers
• NX bus service implemented to reduce crowding on N Judah
• Schedule improvements implemented October 15
• Running time adjustments made on all routes to improve on-time performance
• Vehicles
• Rail vehicle component overhaul programs underway to reduce vehicle breakdowns
• Doors/Steps Overhaul Program
• Component rebuild
• Additional Mobile Response Unit (MRU) to resolve subway/surface delays
• Operator training to resolve in-service equipment issues
• Accelerating overhaul of out of service rail vehicles
• Facilities
• Eliminating subway slow zones
• Eureka curve track replacement
• Church & Duboce interim rail replacement
• Upgraded station and vehicle announcements
• ATCS software upgrade – Vetag failures reduced from 10 % to 1 %

Going Forward

• Hiring additional supervisors 
• 13 in training
• Reallocate pull-outs between Green and Muni Metro East
• Jan 2012
• Breda out of service trains to be repaired 
• First vehicles due back Spring 2013
• Signal loop replacement in Subway 
• Completion date mid-2012

h/t Supervisor Cohen

EVENT: Reset The T Third Street

For those who are fed up with the T-Third and want to talk to someone at City Hall about it, come to the "Reset the T-Third" at:
Bayview Police Station
201 Williams Ave
6:30 - 8:00pm
Monday, October 24, 2011
RSVP at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=271765822854629

Phil Ting to hold a "Reset the T-Third St" Event

Any time a city official wants to hear from us about the problems we encounter riding MUNI, I'm all for it!  Mr. Ting's Reset events have so far been well-run and informative, and whether he wins the mayor's race or not, the public testimony that he's collecting at these meetings will be invaluable in making sure things like the TEP are implemented by our city government.

This is an event for all of us who ride the T, from those who live in the Dogpatch and Potrero Hill all the way down to Visitacion Valley.  The T is our major artery, and even after a couple of years of service, while everyone knows it's still got some major problems, apparently very few people seem to be complaining.  Now is your chance to be heard!

Monday, October 24 · 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Bayview Police Station
201 Williams Avenue
San Francisco, CA

Reset San Francisco

Imagine a Muni that actually works. It can happen – if we take charge and demand the changes needed to make our buses and streetcars run reliably and run more frequently.

Phil Ting understands that our city government can be as creative and innovative as the rest of San Francisco. That's why our campaign to Reset San Francisco is holding Muni Town Halls throughout the city this Fall.

**RSVP on Facebook or at: http://bit.ly/resetsf-muni-events

Muni is the slowest transit system in America, and it is one of the least reliable. But there are solutions – simple things like putting bus stops after stop signs so we don’t have to stop twice, proven technologies like timing lights, and clear priorities – like keeping City Hall from diverting money that we approved to fix Muni into political pet projects.

Join us as we work to Reset San Francisco – starting with Resetting the 38 Geary, the 1 California, the 29 Sunset and all of the lines that make up our Municipal Railway.

Hearing on Muni T-Line

From Supervisor Cohen's June Newsletter:

Specifically, the hearing will explore how effective the line has been in providing reliable transit service to neighborhoods of the southeast part of the City. While service has improved since the opening of the T-line, other technical and operational issues remain that negatively impact the average speed and reliability of the light rail route.   It is important for City officials to hear directly from residents and workers who use the T-line regularly.  Please join the conversation by participating in the hearing on:

Monday, June 20
1:00pm
Room 262, City Hall

If you are unable to attend the hearing in person, you may submit
written comments to:

Alisa Somera
Clerk of the Land Use Committee
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102
Alisa.Somera@sfgov.org

My comments...

SFMTA's board approves financial plan for Central Subway project

From Progressive Railroading,

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) board approved the financial plan for the Central Subway, which is the second phase of the SFMTA's Third Street light-rail project.

The board's approval is a crucial step toward submitting the plan in February to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the New Starts program, SFMTA officials said in a prepared statement. The agency's goal is to obtain a full-funding grant agreement with the FTA by year's end.

SFMTA closed the project's $137 million funding gap with federal, state and local fund sources, and now is on track to receive the full-funding grant agreement that will secure $942.2 million of federal New Starts funds for the project, said Nathaniel Ford Sr., SFMTA's executive director and chief executive officer.

The Central Subway has received $72 million in New Starts funding to date. The FTA granted environmental clearance in November 2008 and granted approval to begin the final design in January 2010. The total project cost is expected to reach $1.57 billion, with the federal government contributing close to $1 billion.

When Central Subway service begins, the 1.7-mile extension of the existing T Third rail line will connect communities from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown with light-rail service.

Read more at SFMTA

Muni builds case for subway need - SFGate

The Chronicle writes,

To get a sense of the political importance of building Muni's new Central Subway line into Chinatown, take one look at a document explaining the transit agency's newest ridership projections for 2030 that focus extensively on the T-Third Metro route.

Read more at SFGate