Jump to content

Civic Center/UN Plaza station

From Alfawiki
Civic Center/UN Plaza station
Company typeRapid transit interchange station
IndustryPublic transportation
FoundedNovember 5, 1973; 53 years ago (1973-11-05)
Headquarters
San Francisco
,
United States
Area served
San Francisco, California
ProductsRapid transit services (BART and Muni Metro)

Civic Center/UN Plaza station—often referred to simply as Civic Center station—functions as a joint rapid transit interchange for both BART and Muni Metro within the Market Street subway in downtown San Francisco. Located underneath Market Street between 7th and 8th Streets, it primarily serves the Civic Center district along with the adjacent United Nations Plaza. This subterranean complex spans three levels, comprising a spacious fare mezzanine and distinct platform areas designated separately for Muni Metro and BART services.

The station accommodates BART’s Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue lines, as well as Muni Metro lines including the J Church, K Ingleside, L Taraval, M Ocean View, N Judah, and S Shuttle.

Station layout

Civic Center station shares a common design with three other combined Muni/BART stops in the Market Street subway, featuring a tri-level underground configuration: the uppermost level houses a fare mezzanine with separate paid zones for BART and Muni; the second level contains a single island platform dedicated to Muni Metro; and the lowest level offers an island platform for BART trains. There are six street-level entrances, one located within UN Plaza, with elevators positioned near both the central area and the northeast section of the station.

History

In December 1965, the BART Board officially designated the name "Civic Center" for this station. The commencement of BART operations took place on November 5, 1973, followed by the introduction of Muni Metro services on February 18, 1980. To honor the United Nations’ 60th anniversary alongside World Environment Day in 2005, the station was renamed Civic Center/UN Plaza. Part of this initiative involved plans to install additional fare gates to allow seamless transfers between Muni and BART without requiring passengers to return to the mezzanine level. A bicycle facility opened in August 2015 after construction began in late 2014.

Historically, two entrances existed west of 8th Street at Hyde Street. The entrance at Grove Street was temporarily closed in December 2016 due to sewer system damage and was permanently shuttered by October 2017. The other entrance ceased operations on November 1, 2018, to accommodate construction of an electrical substation aimed at increasing train capacity through the Transbay Tube. The original six entrances closer to fare control remain open.

Following a successful installation of an escalator canopy at 19th Street Oakland station in 2015, BART expanded this initiative to cover all downtown San Francisco and Oakland station entrances. These canopies are designed to minimize escalator outages, enhance lighting conditions, and provide real-time train updates. The canopy over Civic Center’s Market and 7th Street entrance opened in October 2018, while the Market and 8th Street entrance reopened with its canopy in April 2023. Work on the canopy for the north entrance on 7th Street commenced in April 2024. Completion of all canopy installations is targeted for 2027.

In May 2018, BART proposed closing a passage connecting the station’s sides at 7th and 8th Streets due to persistent issues with drug activity. Construction began in February 2020 on two new stairways leading to the BART platform, with an anticipated duration of approximately one year. Southern entrances were closed from April 2020 through June 2021 during reduced ridership amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally lacking elevator fare gates at thirteen BART stations—including Civic Center—a project initiated in 2020 installed these gates at Civic Center by January 2023. Additionally, a secondary agent booth near the Civic Center entrance reopened in February 2023 after being closed for over ten years. From July through August 2024, original fare gates were replaced with modernized units throughout the station.

Connections

Above the station, two heritage streetcar stops operated by Muni are situated: Market and 7th Street and Market and 8th Street for inbound travel, along with Market and Hyde for outbound service. These stops are part of the F Market and Wharves line. Additionally, the station offers transfers to a variety of Muni bus and trolleybus lines, including:

  • Local routes: , , , , ,
  • Rapid services: ,
  • Express line:
  • Night Owl routes: , , , , , , ,

Adjacent to the station on 7th Street, several Golden Gate Transit lines (24C, 30, 54C, 70, 92, 101, 101X) provide service. Nearby on Mission Street, other Muni routes (, , , ) and SamTrans buses (FCXX, 292, 397, 398) operate. During BART's non-operational hours, AC Transit runs the 800 All Nighter route serving Civic Center station.

As part of the proposed Better Market Street initiative, there will be a consolidation of F line streetcar stops and bus stops aimed at enhancing travel efficiency. This plan includes replacing the current F line stops at 7th and 8th streets with a single midblock stop.

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Civic_Center/UN_Plaza_station&oldid=14522"