Market and Church station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
| Products | Muni Metro services |
Church station, also known as Church Street station, is a Muni Metro light rail stop situated in San Francisco, California. It lies at the complex intersection where Market Street, Church Street, and 14th Street converge within the Duboce Triangle area.
Station layout
This station comprises two side platforms positioned on the lower ground level, beneath a mezzanine concourse. Unlike other Market Street subway stations that offer multiple access points, Church and Castro Street station provide only a single staircase on each side of Market Street. Entrances are located at the northwest corner of Market and 14th Street and at the southwest corner of Market and Church Street. Originally a standalone structure, the street elevator was later incorporated into the façade of an apartment complex constructed between 2017 and 2020 on Market’s north side, just west of 14th Street.
The J Church line both enters and exits the Market Street subway near this location, utilizing two surface-level platforms: the inbound stop at Church and Market Streets, and the outbound at Church and 14th Streets. Additionally, the F Market & Wharves streetcar serves this junction. The N Judah line emerges from the tunnel prior to reaching Church station and halts one block away at Church and Duboce Avenue.
History
Constructed by BART as a component of the Market Street subway system, the station was officially named "Church Street" in December 1965. It commenced operations in June 1980. The station was featured in the 1982 movie 48 Hrs.. In early 2009, it underwent seismic retrofitting to enhance structural safety.
As part of changes to Muni Metro in August 2020, the J line was converted to operate entirely on surface tracks, terminating at the inbound platform on Church Street to facilitate accessible transfers to subway services. To accommodate this adjustment, mini-high platforms were installed at both Church and Duboce as well as along Church Street south of Market by October 2020, extending the J line’s reach slightly to Duboce Street. Nevertheless, disability rights groups expressed concerns regarding the complexity of mandatory transfers at Church station.
Following these modifications, all Muni Metro rail operations were temporarily replaced by bus service starting August 25, 2020. Rail service for the J Church resumed on December 19, 2020, with both mini-high platforms active and Duboce designated as the new terminus. Early in 2021, these platforms were enhanced with Simon Malvaez’s mural titled Them (Ramp).
In 2022, as part of the Upper Market Street Safety Project, ornamental railings were installed on both boarding islands along Market Street. These feature a quote from Harvey Milk’s 1977 speech "You've Got to Have Hope" alongside an illustration of streetcar #1051, which is dedicated to Milk.