Judah and La Playa station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | October 21, 1928 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | Sunset District, San Francisco |
| Products | Muni Metro N Judah line service |
Judah and La Playa station—also referred to as Ocean Beach—serves as the western endpoint of the Muni Metro N Judah line. Situated in San Francisco's Sunset District near the intersection of the Great Highway and Ocean Beach, this station has been operational since October 21, 1928. It includes a mini-high platform designed for accessibility; however, the majority of riders board by crossing a traffic lane directly from the street.
Station layout
This station consists of a single-track balloon loop accompanied by a modest accessible platform positioned on the southern side. Passengers who do not require accessibility accommodations typically board east of the loop, between 48th Avenue and La Playa. Within the loop, a short siding is used to store trains and facilitate their turnaround, linking to the westbound track. When the loop is out of service, trains utilize a crossover located between 48th Avenue and La Playa to reverse direction.
In 2014, Muni introduced proposed enhancements under the Transit Effectiveness Project (later renamed MuniForward) for the N Judah route, which included plans for an inbound boarding island at 48th Avenue and an outbound transit bulb at La Playa.
Trains frequently lay over within the loop at the junction of Judah Street, La Playa Street, and Lower Great Highway. This practice obstructs certain turning movements as well as the southbound lane of La Playa Street. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) identified this location as hazardous in November 2022 after documenting 13 collisions from May 2019 through November 2022.
To address these safety concerns, SFMTA developed measures in 2023 aimed at banning turns to and from Lower Great Highway at this intersection, enforcing turn restrictions originating from La Playa, and modifying parking arrangements on adjacent blocks. The SFMTA board approved these safety upgrades in January 2024, with construction planned to begin in March.