Market and 7th Street station

Civic Center/UN Plaza station

Company type	Rapid transit station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	November 5, 1973 (1973-11-05)
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Area served	San Francisco Civic Center district, United Nations Plaza
Products	BART and Muni Metro rapid transit services

Civic Center/UN Plaza station—often referred to simply as Civic Center station—is an integrated BART and Muni Metro rapid transit hub located within the Market Street subway in downtown San Francisco. Positioned underneath Market Street between 7th and 8th Streets, it primarily serves the Civic Center district along with the nearby United Nations Plaza. The station is composed of three underground levels, featuring a spacious fare mezzanine and distinct platform areas designated for Muni Metro and BART services.

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

Station layout

Similar to other shared Muni/BART facilities within the Market Street subway, Civic Center station consists of three subterranean levels: the upper fare mezzanine containing separate paid zones for both Muni and BART; the intermediate level housing a Muni Metro island platform; and the lowest level featuring a BART island platform. Along its stretch, the station offers six street-level access points, including an entrance located in UN Plaza. Elevators provide vertical transport near the center and at the northeast extremity of the platforms.

History

The designation "Civic Center" was officially adopted by the BART Board in December 1965. BART operations commenced at this location on November 5, 1973, with Muni Metro services beginning later on February 18, 1980. In 2005, the station's name was updated to Civic Center/UN Plaza in recognition of the United Nations’ 60th anniversary and World Environment Day. This renaming was accompanied by plans for installing additional fare gates to facilitate seamless transfers between Muni and BART.

A bicycle facility opened on the mezzanine level in August 2015 following construction that started in late 2014. Previously, passageways connected to entrances west of 8th Street and Hyde Street; however, one was permanently closed in October 2017 due to a sewer collapse, while another was shut down in November 2018 to make way for a new electrical substation aimed at increasing Transbay Tube train capacity. The original six entrances nearer to the faregates remain operational.

After successfully installing escalator canopies at 19th Street Oakland station in 2015, BART launched similar canopy projects for all downtown San Francisco and Oakland entries to reduce maintenance interruptions and enhance lighting and safety. The canopy covering Civic Center’s Market and 7th Street entrance opened in October 2018; subsequently, the Market and 8th Street entrance canopy was unveiled in April 2023. Work on the north entrance at 7th Street began in April 2024, with completion of all canopies anticipated by 2027.

In May 2018, BART proposed closing a corridor known for illicit activity. Construction started in February 2020 to add two staircases leading to the BART platform, with an expected duration of about one year. Due to decreased ridership during the pandemic, southern entrances were closed from April 2020 until June 2021.

Originally lacking elevator faregates at thirteen BART stations including Civic Center, a project commenced in 2020 to install these gates; Civic Center’s installation was completed by January 2023. Additionally, a secondary station agent booth near the Civic Center entrance reopened in February 2023 after being shuttered for over ten years. Replacement of original fare gates took place between July and August 2024.

Connections

Above the station, there are two heritage streetcar stops operated by Muni: Market and 7th Street and Market and 8th Street for inbound service, along with Market and Hyde for outbound travel. 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 route:
• Owl service lines: , , , , , , , and

Adjacent to the station on 7th Street, several Golden Gate Transit buses (24C, 30, 54C, 70, 92, 101, 101X) make stops. One block away on Mission Street, other Muni routes (, , , ) and SamTrans services (FCXX, 292, 397, 398) operate. During BART's non-operational hours, the station is also served by AC Transit's 800 All Nighter route.

The upcoming Better Market Street initiative aims to streamline the F Market and Wharves line stops and bus services for enhanced efficiency. This plan includes replacing the existing stops at 7th and 8th streets with a single consolidated midblock stop to reduce travel times.

External links

• BART: Civic Center / UN Plaza Station
• SFMTA: Civic Center Station inbound, outbound
• SF Bay Transit (unofficial): MUNI Metro Civic Center Station, Civic Center/UN Plaza BART Station