SFMTA outlines subway slow‑zone repairs, Potrero Yard closure and Clean Corridor pilot on 14 Mission

Transit Director Brent Jones presented the quarterly transit update, focusing on infrastructure constraints in the Market Street subway, fleet and yard plans, and customer‑facing pilots.

Jones said the subway has multiple active speed restrictions that add time to trips — staff estimate up to a 24‑second inbound delay toward downtown and up to an 80‑second outbound delay toward western neighborhoods. He identified the Embarcadero double crossover as a critical component with aging frogs, switch points and stock rails; procurement for the repair was anticipated in March 2026 with fabricated materials arriving around February 2027. Jones described three restriction categories (planned, temporary software related, and system‑age renewals) and said targeted campaigns such as Fix It Week have reduced long delays while more investment will be needed for sustained speed gains.

On service planning, Jones outlined a planned closure of Potrero Yard and associated winter service reassignments designed to be cost neutral: reassigning vehicles and shifting some 60‑foot vehicle work to 40‑foot vehicles with compensating frequency adjustments (examples given: 5 R Fulton weekday peak frequency increases to address crowding; some 14 Mission frequency adjustments). The target effective date for the winter service sign‑up tied to Potrero changes is Feb. 14.

Jones also described the Clean Corridor pilot submitted for the Bloomberg Philanthropies challenge on the 14 Mission: a two‑week pilot of mobile cleaning crews and ambassadors (7 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays) that collected rider feedback (347 survey responses), with results showing 19% of respondents said buses were cleaner, 37% said they felt safer, and 91% reported feeling safe when ambassadors were present. Jones said the agency will try to scale similar efforts to several high‑volume lines over the next three to five years if feasible. He further reviewed fleet maintenance metrics, a shift from MDBF to MDBSI reporting for better component‑level insights, testing of in‑motion charging on smaller buses, and new operator safety features being piloted on upcoming vehicle procurements (enclosed operator barriers, digital side‑mirrors and rearview camera displays).

Board members and public speakers asked detailed follow‑ups about slow‑zone causes, procurement sequencing, the Potrero closure’s impact on 60‑foot trolley operations, the Clean Corridor pilot costs and scalability, and mobile cleaning crew deployment. Jones said staff will bring additional detail to the February board workshop and upcoming Fix It Week schedules.

What’s next: staff will continue Embarcadero procurement and fabrication work, implement winter service sign‑ups tied to the Potrero changes, and report on pilot scaling and procurements at forthcoming meetings.