San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar today announced that Muni K Ingleside trains will return to the westside starting on May 15, 2021. The return of these trains is happening earlier than anticipated as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) brings back Muni service for riders to support the City’s economic recovery. The K Ingleside will join the previously announced N Judah as part of Muni’s commitment to reopen the subway and maximize transit access citywide.

“The return of the K is an important step forward in bringing back the type of Muni service that San Francisco needs as we emerge from this pandemic,” said Mayor Breed. “This last year forced us to change so much about how our city operates, and one of the hardest parts was the impact it had on our public transit. But while trains and buses weren’t able to run at normal levels, the SFMTA used that time to make important upgrades and repairs to our infrastructure and prepare for the future. Now I’m excited to see more and more people riding Muni to get around San Francisco.”

“We are ecstatic to see the K light rail service coming back in May. We are reopening, our folks are getting vaccinated, our merchants are seeing an uptick in foot traffic and connecting businesses to their customers is critical to economic recovery and vitality,” said Supervisor Melgar. “The K light rail is crucial for District 7—not just our businesses but also our institutions, such as our SFUSD schools and City College. We need reliable and accessible transit service and to ensure our recovery and success after a year of COVID. I look forward to continued advocacy for my district.”

The K Ingleside will run through a much more reliable subway system. Muni staff used this rare, extended subway shutdown as an opportunity to accelerate other upgrades and necessary maintenance work. During normal service, subway maintenance crews can only work within the few hours a day when trains are not running.

Key improvements for Muni Metro riders include:

• Wi-Fi availability thanks to routers installed in stations and cellular antennas installed in the tunnels.
• Installation of new wayfinding and directional signs at Castro and Church stations.
• Quicker and smoother trips as a result of overhead line enhancements and rail grinding.
• Public art at the entrance and exit at Castro and West Portal stations.

“Our ability to make this announcement of additional Muni service is a true testament to the collaboration between Muni staff, our labor unions and community partners,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transit. “We know that key transit connections are critical to the city’s economic recovery, and we’re thrilled to re-open the subway and ramp up service.”

The return of K Ingleside rail service is one part of a larger roll out of Muni rail updates happening on May 15, 2021 including:

K Ingleside/T Third

K Ingleside and the T Third will once again be “interlined.” This means that the two routes will operate as one route, from Balboa Park to Sunnydale, providing subway service at all stations from Embarcadero to West Portal.

N Judah

The N Judah will return for rail service on May 15 as well. Riders will have more room and fewer pass ups as the two-car train increases the N Judah’s capacity.

J Church, L Taraval and M Ocean View

These lines will all continue to operate as they currently do, though the increased capacity on the K/T trains will soon provide even better connections for those traveling downtown or to the western neighborhoods. 

The J Church will keep surface-only trains from Market Street to Balboa Park, the L Taraval will operate with buses from the Zoo to Downtown, and the M Ocean View will operate with a bus from Balboa Park to West Portal Station.

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, face masks are required by federal law in Muni stations, when purchasing a ticket and while waiting for, boarding, riding or exiting transit. For more information on upcoming Muni service, visit sfmta.com.

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