Carl Nolte, the San Francisco Chronicle's historian, writes on the 150-year anniversary of the Market St. Railway that began operation as a 2-car steam train on July 4, 1860, and the evolution of rail on/under Market St including BART & Muni Metro.
It began as the first railway on the west coast - steam powered, "dirty, noisy and ultimately a financial flop, but it was the start of something big" in that it began the transition of the corridor into one of the nation's busiest transit routes as homes and businesses began to replace sand dunes.
"By 1867, the steam trains were replaced with a new invention: rail cars drawn by horses. By 1883, the horse-car lines were converted to cable cars, with a cable slot down the middle.
The cables ran on tight headways; by the turn of the 20th century, a cable car was at the Ferry Building at rush hour every 15 seconds, transit historians say."
BART heavy rail opened under Market and Mission Streets in 1973. In 1980, Muni Metro light rail opened in a subway above the BART subway on Market Street. In 1995, the historic "F" streetcar line opened on Market Street itself.
Nolte mixes the history of transit with that of the City, which originally was not centered on Market St. More can be learned at the Market St. Railway Museum which opens a free exhibit on July 15 highlighting the 1860 railway.
Thanks to Leonard Conly
FULL STORY: 150th anniversary of first Market St. rail line
Uber Vehicles are Not Taxis, Even When They Want To Be
A June 16 vote by the San Francisco MTA to improve safety will allow taxis, along with bicycles and Muni buses, but not ride-hailing services to make turns onto the downtown's main thoroughfare, Market Street, has upset San Francisco-based Uber.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie