List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines

San Francisco Municipal Railway

Company type	Public transit agency
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	December 28, 1912 (1912-12-28)
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Area served	San Francisco, Daly City, Marin County
Owner	City and County of San Francisco
Parent	San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Website	sfmta.com

The San Francisco Municipal Railway (commonly known as Muni) serves as the main public transportation provider in San Francisco, California. It is managed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which is also responsible for overseeing the city's roadways, parking facilities, and traffic control systems. In 2019, Muni was ranked eighth nationwide in terms of transit ridership, accommodating an average of 684,600 passengers on weekdays. Its network spans the entirety of San Francisco, including Treasure Island, and extends into select areas of Daly City and Marin County.

Muni's operations include seven light rail lines under the Muni Metro brand, alongside two streetcar routes (E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves) and three cable car lines. Daytime bus services consist of 44 local routes, five limited-stop "Rapid" lines, and 15 express routes during peak hours. Additional express services connect to destinations such as the Marin Headlands, Oracle Park, and the Chase Center, supplementing BART during early morning hours. Overnight "Owl" service provides eight continuous 24-hour routes, two night-only lines, plus several bus replacements for Muni Metro services. Among these, fourteen local routes—including two with restricted schedules—one Rapid route, and four Owl routes operate using electric trolleybuses. The system is supported by a total of ten maintenance and storage facilities: one cable car barn, three yards for light rail and streetcars, two trolleybus garages, and four bus depots.

Route identification employs a dual-component naming scheme combining a number or letter with a street or neighborhood name (for example, "19 Polk" or "N Judah"). Letter designations are reserved for light rail and streetcar lines, while bus routes are numbered. This system originated from Muni’s own conventions as well as those inherited from the Market Street Railway after its 1944 integration. Cable car routes—Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde, and California—are generally referred to by name but are abbreviated as PM, PH, and C on transit maps.

Muni’s inception dates back to December 28, 1912, marked by the launch of the A Geary-Park line connecting the Financial District with the Richmond District. The streetcar network grew through major infrastructure developments including the Stockton Street Tunnel (1914), Twin Peaks Tunnel (1918), and Sunset Tunnel (1928). Bus operations commenced in 1917, followed by trolleybus services beginning in 1941. The city consolidated its transit system by acquiring Market Street Railway in 1944—effectively doubling Muni’s coverage—and later purchasing the bankrupt California Street Cable Railroad in 1952 to become San Francisco’s exclusive transit provider. Mid-20th century saw streetcars largely replaced by buses; however, five remaining streetcar lines were converted into Muni Metro light rail following the completion of the Market Street subway in 1980. Subsequent service modifications have shaped the current network configuration.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, service was initially reduced to essential routes before gradually restoring additional lines. As of July 2022, operations include six Muni Metro lines, one streetcar route, one bus replacement for Muni Metro service, three cable car lines, 43 local bus routes, four Rapid lines, and three express routes—with some adjustments applied temporarily. Twelve overnight Owl routes along with a single early-morning express route continue active service.

Cable car lines

All three cable car routes originate from the cable car barn located at Mason and Washington.

Muni cable car lines

Route	Inbound terminal	Outbound terminal	Ridership
California (C)	California and Market	California and Van Ness	4,000
Powell-Hyde (PH)	Powell and Market	Hyde and Beach	7,800
Powell-Mason (PM)		Taylor and Bay	5,100

Muni Metro and Historic Streetcar Services

Muni manages six light rail lines—J, K, L, M, N, and T—alongside the S Shuttle, which offers supplementary subway service during rush hours and on event days at Oracle Park and Chase Center.

There are also two heritage streetcar routes, E and F, that function as regular transit lines. The Muni Metro fleet is housed primarily at Green Division near Balboa Park station and Muni Metro East, while the historic streetcars are based out of Cameron Beach Yard close to Balboa Park.

All lines continue to operate except for the E Embarcadero route.

Muni streetcar lines

Route	Inbound Terminal	Outbound Terminal
Template:MUNI legend	Template:Munis (Fisherman's Wharf)	Template:Munis (Caltrain Depot)
Template:MUNI legend		Template:Munis
Template:MUNI legend	Template:Munis	Template:Munis
Template:MUNI legend
Template:MUNI legend		Template:Munis (SF Zoo)
Template:MUNI legend		San Jose and Geneva (Balboa Park)
Template:MUNI legend	4th and King (Caltrain Depot)	Template:Munis (Ocean Beach)
Template:MUNI legend	Embarcadero	Template:Munis
Template:MUNI legend	Template:Munis	Template:Munis

Local Bus Routes

San Francisco's Muni operates 44 local bus lines, the majority of which run every day. Exceptions include routes 41 and 88, which operate exclusively during weekday peak periods. Some routes adjust their terminal points during evenings or weekends. Route 5 switches to trolleybus service during evenings and weekends, while Route 9 utilizes articulated buses on weekends.

Key to table notes

†	Electric trolleybus routes in San Francisco
♦	Community routes employing buses approximately 30–32 feet in length
^	Lines utilizing 60-foot articulated buses
N	Routes suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic
M	Routes with altered routing due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Sutter and Sansome||Oakdale/Palou station(Palou & 3rd Street)||N/A

Muni local bus lines

Route	Note	Inbound Terminal	Outbound Terminal	Ridership
1 California	†	Clay and Drumm	Geary Boulevard and 33rd Avenue	23,500
2 Clement	N	Steuart and Market (Ferry Plaza)	Clement and 14th Avenue (Park Presidio)	5,200
2 Sutter	†		California and Presidio
3 Jackson	N †	Montgomery Street station (Sutter and Sansome)	Presidio and California	2,500
5 Fulton	^	Market and 7th Street (weekday daytime)	Fulton and 6th Avenue (weekday daytime)	8,400
5 Fulton	†^	Salesforce Transit Center (other times)	Cabrillo and La Playa (other times)
6 Hayes/Parnassus	†	Hyde and Grove (Civic Center)	Quintara and 14th Avenue	7,800
7 Haight/Noriega	^	Salesforce Transit Center	Ortega and 48th Avenue	9,400
8 Bayshore	^	Kearny and North Point	City College of San Francisco (Unity Plaza)	22,800
9 San Bruno	^	Van Ness station (11th Street and Market) (weekday daytime) Market and Steuart (Ferry Plaza) (other times)	Arleta station (Bayshore and Arleta) (weekday daytime) McLaren School (other times)	9,700
10 Townsend	N	Jackson and Fillmore (weekday daytime) Jackson and Van Ness (other times)	San Francisco General Hospital (24th Street and Potrero)	6,500
12 Folsom/Pacific		Van Ness and Pacific Streets	Valencia and Cesar Chavez Streets	6,300

Rapid bus lines

On five corridors with the highest ridership, rapid buses operate alongside local services, stopping only at select locations. These rapid routes mostly mirror the paths of their local counterparts with some deviations; when the 5R and 9R are in service, the corresponding 5 and 9 routes have shortened runs. The 5R, 9R, and 28R operate solely on weekdays until 7 p.m., whereas the 14R and 38R provide daily service up to that time.

Muni rapid bus lines

Route	Note	Inbound terminal	Outbound terminal	Ridership
5R Fulton Rapid	†^	Salesforce Transit Center	Cabrillo and La Playa	12,900
9R San Bruno Rapid	^	Main and Mission	Sunnydale and McLaren School	11,700
14R Mission Rapid	^	Mission and Main	Daly City station	18,900
28R 19th Avenue Rapid	M	California and 6th Avenue	Daly City station	4,500
38R Geary Rapid	^	Salesforce Transit Center	Point Lobos and 48th Avenue	29,500

Express bus lines

Muni runs twelve express routes that link outlying neighborhoods to downtown during weekday rush hours in the primary travel direction. These express services share local segments with identically numbered routes but use expressways or major thoroughfares for faster travel on express portions. Trips in the reverse direction generally run without passengers except for paired routes 8AX and 8BX. Eight of these express lines include 'A' and 'B' variants that differ in their local segments. Most express routes were suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic, except for routes 1X, 8AX, 8BX, 30X, and 78X.

Muni express bus lines

Route	Note	Inbound terminal	Outbound terminal	Ridership
1X California Express	^	Davis and Pine (mornings) Sacramento and Drumm (evenings)	Geary and 33rd Avenue	N/A
1AX California 'A' Express	N ^	Davis and Pine	Geary and 33rd Avenue	1,200
1BX California 'B' Express	N ^		California and 6th Avenue	1,500
7X Noriega Express	N ^	Market and Steuart (AM) Main and Market (PM)	Ortega and 48th Avenue	1,600
8AX Bayshore 'A' Express	^	Kearny and Pacific	Geneva and Schwerin	5,800
8BX Bayshore 'B' Express	^	Kearny and North Point	City College (Unity Plaza)	5,600
14X Mission Express	N ^	Steuart and Mission (Ferry Plaza)	Mission and San Jose	4,200
30X Marina Express	^	Howard and Spear	Beach and Divisadero	2,000
31AX Balboa 'A' Express	N	Davis and Pine	Cabrillo and La Playa	1,100
31BX Balboa 'B' Express	N		Balboa and Park Presidio	900
38AX Geary 'A' Express	N		Point Lobos and 48th Avenue	900
38BX Geary 'B' Express	N		Geary and 25th Avenue	1,000
Nx Judah Express	N	Bush and Montgomery (AM) Sutter and Sansome (PM)	Judah and 48th Avenue	1,300

Three express routes provide specialized transit: the weekend-only 76X serves recreational destinations in the Marin Headlands; event-specific shuttles include the 78X and79X to the Chase Center.

Muni express bus lines with special service

Route	Note	Inbound terminal	Outbound terminal
76X Marin Headlands Express	N	Sutter and Sansome	Fort Cronkhite (Marin Headlands)
78X16th Street Arena Express	N ^	Chase Center	16th Street Mission station
79X Van Ness Arena Express	N		Van Ness and North Point

Additionally, two peak-direction express routes link San Francisco’s Fourth & King Street Caltrain station to nearby commercial zones. The81X operates only in the morning; both routes serve areas along Market Street.

Muni Caltrain express bus lines

Route	Note	Inbound terminal	Outbound terminal	Ridership
81X Caltrain Express	N	Beale and Howard	Townsendand4thStreet	100
82X Levi Plaza Express	N	SansomeandFilbert (Levi'sPlaza)		500

Owl Bus Services

Owl routes offer overnight bus transit from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. every day, including holidays, as a component of the Bay Area's All Nighter network.

The 90 Owl route integrates the daytime 47 Van Ness and 9 San Bruno lines, whereas the 91 Owl route combines the daytime K Ingleside, 8 Bayshore, T Third, 30 Stockton, and 28 19th Avenue lines. The Owl services for routes 5 Fulton, 24 Divisadero, 44 O'Shaughnessy, and 48 Quintara-24th Street operate as truncated versions of their daytime equivalents.

Route 714 is incorporated within the Early Bird Express program, providing limited trips between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. during the BART Transbay Tube seismic retrofit closure.

The K, L, and N Owl buses substitute daytime light rail operations by traveling on surface streets with local stops instead of utilizing tunnels or subway tracks. Additionally, the L Owl covers the daytime F-Market line. Both the L and N Owl routes run throughout the night; however, the K Owl offers limited early morning trips shortly after subway services end.

Muni owl bus lines

Route	Note	Inbound Terminal	Outbound Terminal
5 Fulton	†	Jones and McAllister	Cabrillo and La Playa
14 Mission	†	Steuart and Mission	Mission and San Jose
22 Fillmore	†	Fillmore and Bay	Mission Bay North and Third Street
24 Divisadero	†	Divisadero and Sutter	Cortland and Bayshore
25 Treasure Island		Salesforce Transit Center	13th and Gateview (Treasure Island)
38 Geary			Point Lobos and 48th Avenue
44 O'Shaughnessy		Glen Park BART	Hudson and Newhall
48 24th Street		22nd Street and Iowa	Castro and 24th Street
90 San Bruno Owl		Van Ness and North Point	San Bruno and Bayshore
91 Third Street/19th Avenue Owl		Holloway and 19th Avenue	West Portal station
714 BART Early Bird	^	Salesforce Transit Center	Daly City station
K Owl	N	Steuart and Mission	Balboa Park station
L Owl		Jones and Beach	Wawona and 46th Avenue
N Owl		4th Street and Townsend	Ocean Beach

Early Morning Routes

Beyond Owl services, buses operate on weekends for all Muni Metro lines from 5:00 a.m. until rail service commences (6:00 a.m. on Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. on Sundays), facilitating overnight subway maintenance activities. Unlike Owl routes, the K, L, and N early morning buses make limited stops exclusively at daytime light rail stations. Certain early morning lines are not active during this period; meanwhile, the L bus follows its typical shortened daytime path.

Muni early morning streetcar lines

Route	Note	Inbound Terminal	Outbound Terminal
J Church Bus		Ferry Plaza (Embarcadero station)	Balboa Park station
K Ingleside Bus
L Taraval Bus	M	West Portal station	Wawona and 46th Avenue
M Ocean View Bus	Only if needed		San Jose and Geneva (Balboa Park)
N Judah Bus		Townsend and 5th Street	Ocean Beach
T Third Street Bus		Bayshore and Sunnydale	Stockton and Washington (Chinatown station)