J Church

Last updated

J Church
J Church logo.svg
J Church train in Dolores Park, May 2018.JPG
An inbound J Church train in Dolores Park in 2018
Overview
Owner San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Locale San Francisco, California
Termini
Stations26
Service
Type Light rail/streetcar
System Muni Metro
Operator(s) San Francisco Municipal Railway
Rolling stock Breda LRV3, Siemens LRV4
Daily ridership6,800 (June 2025) [1]
History
OpenedAugust 11, 1917 (1917-08-11) [2]
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification Overhead line,  600 V DC
Route diagram
J Church J Church highlighted in yellow
BSicon uSTR+l.svg
BSicon uCONTfq.svg
BSicon lCONTf4.svg
BSicon tSTR2+4.svg
BSicon utSTRa.svg
Bart-logo.svg to East Bay
BSicon tSTRc1.svg
BSicon lvKRZvo.svg
BSicon MSTR.svg
BSicon utUST.svg
BSicon STR2h+4.svg
BSicon tSHI4c3.svg
J Church logo.svg K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg turnback
BSicon utdINTACC.svg
BSicon lvINTACC-.svg
BSicon tdBHF.svg
Embarcadero
Ferry symbol.svg BSicon CCAR.svg Bart-logo.svg E Embarcadero logo.svg F Market & Wharves logo.svg
BSicon utdINTACC.svg
BSicon lvINTACC-.svg
BSicon tdBHF.svg
Montgomery
Bart-logo.svg F Market & Wharves logo.svg
BSicon utCONTgq.svg
BSicon lKRZo+L.svg
BSicon HUBa.svg
BSicon utACCq.svg
BSicon umtvSTR.svg
BSicon lKRZo+R.svg
BSicon utCONTf@Fq.svg
Union Sq/​Market St
T Third Street logo.svg
BSicon HUBl.svg
BSicon utdINTACC.svg
BSicon cHUBq.svg
BSicon HUBeq.svg
BSicon lvINTACC-.svg
BSicon tdBHF.svg
Powell
BSicon CCAR.svg Bart-logo.svg F Market & Wharves logo.svg
BSicon utdINTACC.svg
BSicon lvINTACC-.svg
BSicon tdBHF.svg
Civic Center
Bart-logo.svg F Market & Wharves logo.svg
BSicon tv-STRl.svg
BSicon utvSTR-.svg
BSicon LSTReq.svg
Bart-logo.svg to Balboa Park
BSicon utACC.svg
Van Ness
BSicon BUS3.svg F Market & Wharves logo.svg
BSicon uexlCONTg@F.svg
BSicon utKRWl.svg
BSicon utSTRe@f.svg
BSicon utKRW+r.svg
Market Street subway
← Duboce Portal
BSicon uexKRWl.svg
BSicon ueKRWg+r.svg
BSicon utLSTR.svg
← to surface tracks on
Market Street (closed 1982)
BSicon uCONTgq.svg
BSicon uABZgr+xr.svg
BSicon uHSTACC.svg
BSicon ulCONTg@F.svg
Church and Duboce
N Judah logo.svg
BSicon HUBc2.svg
BSicon uCONTg@Gq.svg
BSicon HUB3.svg
BSicon uHSTACC.svg
BSicon uKRZ+xl.svg
BSicon uSTRr.svg
Church and Market
F Market & Wharves logo.svg
BSicon utSTR+l.svg
BSicon HUB1.svg
BSicon utACCq.svg
BSicon HUBc4.svg
BSicon uKRZt.svg
BSicon utLSTRr.svg
Church
K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
BSicon uLSTRe.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
Church and 16th Street
BSicon uexCONTgq.svg
BSicon ueABZgr+r.svg
F Market & Wharves logo.svg to/from yard
BSicon uHSTACC.svg
Church and 18th Street
BSicon uCSTRa@g(r).svg
BSicon NATl.svg
BSicon lCSTRe(r).svg
BSicon uHST.svg
Right Of Way/20th Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Right Of Way/Liberty
BSicon uCSTRae.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
Right Of Way/21st Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Church and 22nd Street
BSicon uHSTACC.svg
Church and 24th Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Church and 26th Street
BSicon uHST.svg
Church and 28th Street
BSicon uHSTACC.svg
Church and 29th/Day Streets
BSicon uexENDEaq.svg
BSicon uBHF(L)g.svg
BSicon ueABZgr+r.svg
Church and 30th Street
BSicon uSTR.svg
BSicon ldCONTg@F.svg
Bart-logo.svg to Civic Center
BSicon tSTRc2.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
BSicon tv-LSTR3.svg
30th Street and Dolores
BSicon tSTRc2.svg
BSicon uHSTACC.svg
BSicon tSTR3+1.svg
BSicon tSTRc4.svg
San Jose and Randall
BSicon tSTR+1.svg
BSicon tSTRc4.svg
BSicon uCSTRae.svg
BSicon tBHF.svg
BSicon BLaq.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
BSicon BLeq.svg
San Jose/​Glen Park
BSicon RP4q.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon uSKRZ-G4u.svg
BSicon RP4w.svg
BSicon LSTRe.svg
BSicon uHST.svg
San Jose and Santa Rosa
BSicon uHST.svg
San Jose and Santa Ynez
BSicon uHST.svg
San Jose and Ocean
BSicon uKRWgl.svg
BSicon uKRW+r.svg
BSicon uLSTRl.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
BSicon NULf.svg
BSicon uKRZ+r.svg
BSicon NULg.svg
BSicon uABZg+r.svg
K Ingleside logo.svg to Church
BSicon LSTRa.svg
BSicon NULf@f.svg
BSicon uKRWgl.svg
BSicon NULg.svg
BSicon uKRWg+r.svg
Bart-logo.svg to Glen Park
BSicon HUBaq.svg
BSicon tINTACC.svg
BSicon lHSTACC~L.svg
BSicon HUBtf.svg
BSicon uSTRl.svg
BSicon lHSTACC~R.svg
BSicon dHUBeq.svg
BSicon uxABZgr.svg
Balboa Park
Bart-logo.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon HUBe.svg
BSicon uKHSTACCa.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
San Jose and Geneva M Ocean View logo.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon uLSTRe.svg
M Ocean View logo.svg to Church
BSicon tCONTf.svg
Bart-logo.svg to Millbrae & SFO
Key
BSicon utSTRq.svg
BSicon uSTRq.svg
Muni lines
BSicon tLSTRq.svg
BSicon MSTRq.svg
BSicon tSTRq.svg
BSicon tLSTRq.svg
BART lines

The J Church is an urban rail transit line of the Muni Metro system in San Francisco, California. It has both light rail and streetcar segments. The line runs between Embarcadero station and Balboa Park station through Noe Valley. Opened on August 11, 1917, it is the oldest and has the lowest ridership of all of the Muni Metro lines. [3] :21,47

Contents

Route description

A train on the private right-of-way in the median of San Jose Avenue J Church train in Bernal Cut, November 2019.JPG
A train on the private right-of-way in the median of San Jose Avenue

The inbound terminal is at Embarcadero station. The line runs west through the Market Street subway to a portal on Duboce Avenue, before turning onto Church Street. The line continues south on Church Street to 18th Street. Between 18th and 20th Street, the line cuts through Dolores Park in a private right-of-way featuring a 9% grade, the steepest section of the Muni Metro system. [4] After crossing 20th Street, it cuts across the blocks east of Church, around a steep hill and returns to Church Street at 22nd Street in Noe Valley. The J then follows Church to 30th Street, then to San Jose Avenue and Geneva. Between Randall and Cotter Streets, there is a right-of-way in the middle of San Jose Avenue. At the end of the line, the J loops around the Metro yard at San Jose and Geneva, alongside Balboa Park station.

Operation

The J Church begins service at 5 am on weekdays and 6 am on weekends, and runs until midnight. Daytime headways are every 15 minutes; nights and weekend mornings are every 20 minutes. Unlike the other Muni Metro lines, there is not a corresponding overnight Owl bus during the hours that rail service is not running.

History

An outbound J Church PCC streetcar running through Dolores Park in February 1980 MUNI 1023 J CHURCH TO 30TH in Dolores Park, San Fracisco, CA in February 1980 (32807999534).jpg
An outbound J Church PCC streetcar running through Dolores Park in February 1980

Track work on the J Church line was largely completed in 1916, and service from Church and 30th Street station to Market Street and Van Ness Avenue on August 11, 1917. [5] [2] Service was extended along Van Ness Avenue to Pine Street on August 29, 1917; this extension was discontinued on May 31, 1918, with service extended along Market Street to the Ferry Building the next day. [6] The new Transbay Terminal became the inner terminus for every other streetcar on January 15, 1939, with all service routed there after January 1, 1941. [6]

As part of the creation of the Muni Metro system, it was partially converted to modern light rail operation in 1981 — the last line to do so. [7] [8] While many streetcar lines were converted to bus lines after World War II, the J Church avoided this due to the private right-of-way it uses to climb the steepest grades on Church Street, between 18th Street and 22nd Street. [9]

Extension to Balboa Park

An outbound J Church car turns from 30th Street onto San Jose Avenue in 1993, two months after the start of all-day service on the extension south of 30th. San Francisco Boeing LRV 1273 turning onto San Jose Ave from 30th St on the J-line in 1993.jpg
An outbound J Church car turns from 30th Street onto San Jose Avenue in 1993, two months after the start of all-day service on the extension south of 30th.

The outer end of the line was originally at Church and 30th Streets, where streetcars used a wye to turn around. Studies to extend the line from its southern terminus had been made in the 1920s [5] and 1970's. [10] In 1990–91, the tracks were extended to the Balboa Park BART station and the Metro Center (Muni light-rail maintenance and operations base), giving J-line cars a much shorter connection to the yard than previously. The extension opened on August 31, 1991, but the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) new section was initially used only by light rail cars starting or ending their runs; [11] all-day J-line service was not extended along the new tracks until June 19, 1993. [12] [13]

This trackage was laid along the Bernal Cut, the former right-of-way of the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad. [5]

This extension of the J-line to the Metro Center now also provides vintage F Market cars a connection to the adjacent Cameron Beach Yard, where they are stored when not in service. Occasionally J-Church streetcars use the siding at 30th and Church as a terminus during rush hours, or during irregular operations.

The 19th Avenue Platform & Trackway Improvement Project originally included pocket tracks to allow J Church trains to continue past Balboa Park with service to Stonestown. Due to community backlash, the compromise plan did not include the facilities necessary to run joint J-M service. [7]

Later changes

An outbound train switching back towards Balboa Park Station from the Duboce terminal in December 2020 J Church train crossing over near Market Street, December 2020.jpg
An outbound train switching back towards Balboa Park Station from the Duboce terminal in December 2020

In March 2014, Muni released details of the proposed implementation of their Transit Effectiveness Project (later rebranded MuniForward), which included a variety of changes for the J Church line intended to improve reliability and decrease travel times. The proposed changes included the removal of two stops (Liberty and Church and 30th Street), minor relocations of several other stops, construction of boarding islands and transit bulbs, and transit-only lanes on three blocks of Church Street, plus an increase in frequency from 9.5-minute headways to 8-minute headways during the morning peak. [14] One element – dedicated transit/taxi lanes and left turn restrictions on Church Street between Duboce Avenue and 16th Street – was chosen for implementation as a pilot project to test its effectiveness. The red-painted dedicated center lanes (for use also by the 22-Fillmore bus) and turn restrictions were added in March 2013. The project proved to reduce travel time and improve reliability on both rail and bus, while not significantly increasing travel time in private automobiles. [15] The SFMTA Board made the changes permanent in June 2015. [16]

The line was temporarily through-routed with the surface section of the K Ingleside line from June 25 to August 24, 2018, due to the Twin Peaks Tunnel shutdown. [17] In November 2019, the SFMTA announced plans for near-term changes including the closure of the Church and 30th Street stop will be closed and the addition of a traffic signal at Cesar Chavez Street. A pilot program was also to use a surface turnback on The Embarcadero in an effort to reduce terminal delays at Embarcadero station. [18]

On March 30, 2020, Muni Metro service was replaced with buses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] Rail service returned on August 22, 2020, with the routes reconfigured to improve reliability in the subway. J Church service ran only on the surface. [20] The J initially terminated at the inbound platform on Church Street at Market Street, requiring passengers to transfer between the J and subway trains. [21] A mini-high platform was to be constructed on the inbound platform at Church and Duboce, and an outbound mini-high platform will be built on Church Street south of Market Street, which was to allow the J to be re-extended slightly to Duboce Street (with additional transfer to the N Judah) in October 2020. [21] The forced transfer at Church station, which required J Church riders to cross two streets and use two elevators to transfer, was criticized by disability advocates and others. [22]

Rail service was again replaced with buses on August 25 due to issues with malfunctioning overhead wire splices and the need to quarantine control center staff after a COVID-19 case. [23] J Church service on the surface-only Balboa Park–Church and Duboce routing resumed on December 19, 2020, while full service to Embarcadero station was restored on February 19, 2022. [24] [25]

Future plans

The SFMTA resumed planning for the Muni Forward project, the J Church Safety and Accessibility Project, in 2022. [26] Changes on the San Jose Avenue portion of the line were approved in October 2023. [27] These include transit-only lanes between Ocean Avenue and Cotter Street, platform extensions and accessible mini-high platforms at two stops, and pedestrian safety changes at several intersections. Some changes will be implemented in a "quick-build" phase in late 2023 and early 2024, while most construction will take place in 2025–2027. [26]

In December 2021, the SFMTA indicated a possible use of historic street cars to provide a one-seat service on the J Church to Embarcadero using existing surface tracks on Market Street as a future alternative to running the J Church in the subway tunnel. [28]

In May 2024, the Federal Transit Administration awarded the SFMTA $4.7 million to construct accessible platforms at eight Muni Metro stops, including five J Church stops. [29] [30]

Station listing

Some stops have concrete boarding islands, while others require passengers to board from the street. Some stops have raised platforms for accessibility. While most other lines in the rail system can be run in two-car configurations, the J line is almost always run with a single car in order to accommodate the stops in the right-of-way, which are not long enough to have two light rail cars with open doors simultaneously.

Station/StopNeighborhoodMuni Metro linesNotes and major connections
Wheelchair symbol.svg Embarcadero Financial District K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg N Judah logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
Wheelchair symbol.svg Montgomery K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg N Judah logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
Wheelchair symbol.svg Powell K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg N Judah logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
T Third Street logo.svg (at Union Square/Market St)
Wheelchair symbol.svg Civic Center/UN Plaza K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg N Judah logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
Wheelchair symbol.svg Van Ness K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg N Judah logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
Wheelchair symbol.svg Church and Duboce Duboce Triangle N Judah logo.svg
Wheelchair symbol.svg Church and Market K Ingleside logo.svg L Taraval logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg S Shuttle logo.svg
Church and 16th Street Castro Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 22
Wheelchair symbol.svg Church and 18th Street Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 33
Right Of Way/20th Street Mission District (Located on Muni’s private right-of-way in Dolores Park)
Right Of Way/Liberty (Located on Muni's private right-of-way)
Right Of Way/21st Street Noe Valley (Located on Muni's private right-of-way)
Church and 22nd Street
Wheelchair symbol.svg Church and 24th Street Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 48
Church and 26th Street
Church and 28th Street
Wheelchair symbol.svg Church and 29th Street (inbound)
Wheelchair symbol.svg Church and Day (outbound)
Church and 30th Street (inbound)Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 24
30th Street and Dolores Bernal Heights Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 24, 36
Wheelchair symbol.svg San Jose and Randall Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 14, 49
San Jose/​Glen Park Glen Park Bart-logo.svg Bay Area Rapid Transit (at Glen Park)
Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 23, 35, 36, 44, 52, 714
San Jose and Santa Rosa Balboa Park
San Jose and Santa Ynez
San Jose and Ocean Aiga bus trans.svg Muni: 29, 49
Wheelchair symbol.svg Balboa Park K Ingleside logo.svg M Ocean View logo.svg

References

  1. Average daily Muni boardings by route and month (pre-pandemic to present) (Report). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Happy Centennial, J-Church". streetcar.org. Market Street Railway. August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  3. "Short Range Transit Plan: Fiscal Year 2019 - Fiscal Year 2030" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. December 2019.
  4. "General Information". San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Menzies, Jeremy (August 9, 2017). "Hooray for the J: 100 Years on the J Church". sfmta.com. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency . Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Stindt, Fred A. (October 1990). San Francisco's Century of Street Cars. p. 186. ISBN   0961546514.
  7. 1 2 Callwell, Robert (September 1999). "Transit in San Francisco: A Selected Chronology, 1850–1995" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Railway.
  8. McKane, John; Perles, Anthony (1982). Inside Muni: The Properties and Operations of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco. Glendale, CA (US): Interurban Press. pp. 189–190. ISBN   0-916374-49-1.
  9. Perles, Anthony (1981). The People's Railway: The History of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco. Interurban Press. pp. 176, 181. ISBN   0916374424.
  10. "Copy of Map of Possible J Church Line Connection to Ocean Division via Bernal Cut for Muni Metro". SFMTA Photography Department & Archive. February 29, 1972. Retrieved November 12, 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. "World News [regular news section]". Modern Tramway . UK: Ian Allan Publishing. December 1991. p. 430. ISSN   0144-1655.
  12. Springirth, Kenneth C. (2015). San Francisco's Magnificent Streetcars. Fonthill Media. p. 47. ISBN   978-1-63499-001-1.
  13. "World News [regular news section]". Light Rail and Modern Tramway . UK: Ian Allan Publishing. September 1993. p. 249. ISSN   0964-9255.
  14. "Chapter 3: Proposals by Route". Transit Effectiveness Project Implementation Workbook (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. March 24, 2014. pp. 52–56.
  15. "Church Street Transit Lanes: Final Report" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. February 2015.
  16. Chin, Jerrold (June 3, 2015). "Church Street transit-only lanes become permanent". SFBay.
  17. "Twin Peaks Tunnel Improvements". San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018.
  18. "J Church Project" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. November 18, 2019.
  19. Fowler, Amy (March 26, 2020). "Starting March 30: New Muni Service Changes" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  20. Maguire, Mariana (September 30, 2021). "Late Night Metro and More J Church Service Starts October 2, 2021" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  21. 1 2 "J Church Transfer Improvements". San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. June 26, 2020.
  22. Graf, Carly (August 18, 2020). "Muni 'improvements' could make things harder for seniors, disabled". San Francisco Examiner.
  23. "Bus Substitution for All Rail Lines" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. August 25, 2020.
  24. Maguire, Mariana (December 7, 2020). "Upcoming Muni Service Expansions Phase-in Rail Service, Add Bus Service" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  25. "Muni Service Changes Starting Saturday, February 19, 2022" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. February 2022.
  26. 1 2 "J Church Muni Forward Improvements" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. October 17, 2023.
  27. "Resolution No. 231017-085" (PDF). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  28. Maguire, Mariana (December 10, 2021). "Approved: 2022 Muni Service Plan" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  29. "All Stations Accessibility Program FY24 Projects". Federal Transit Administration. May 28, 2024.
  30. "Biden-Harris Administration Announces $343 Million to Modernize Transit Stations, Improve Accessibility Across the Country" (Press release). Federal Transit Administration. May 28, 2024.
Template:Attached KML/J Church
KML is from Wikidata