San Francisco's New Light Rail Line Runs Into Trouble

"A cascade of problems related to the opening of a new San Francisco streetcar line this week has stalled commutes throughout the Municipal Railway system and angered passengers who often have had to wait 30 minutes or more for a train.

Mechanical breakdowns, power failures and streetcar bottlenecks inside the Market Street subway tunnel and near the South of Market Caltrain station -- while train operators and passengers are still getting used to recent route changes -- have resulted in maddening delays.

'This is a customer relations disaster,' said R. Paul Herman, 38, a business consultant who lives in Potrero Hill and works in the Financial District.

He said he waited more than half an hour at a crowded streetcar stop Wednesday morning for a T-Third train to show up. The cars are scheduled to run every eight minutes."