West Portal station

West Portal station is a Muni Metro station in the West Portal neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is built around the western entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel. The station consists of two side platforms, with the entrance at the western end. A non-accessible footbridge connects the platforms inside fare control.

West Portal
Muni Metro trains at West Portal station in 2017
LocationWest Portal Avenue at Ulloa Street
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37°44′27.27″N 122°27′57.58″W
Line(s)Twin Peaks Tunnel
Platforms2 side platforms
Connections Muni: 48, 57, 91, K Owl, KT Bus, L Owl, M Bus
Construction
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedFebruary 3, 1918[1]
Rebuilt1978-1980
Services
Preceding station Muni Following station
West Portal and 14th Avenue
towards Balboa Park
 K Ingleside Ulloa and Forest Side
towards SF Zoo
L Taraval
West Portal and 14th Avenue
towards San Jose and Geneva (Balboa Park)
 M Ocean View Forest Hill
One-way operation
Terminus S Shuttle Forest Hill
towards Embarcadero
West Portal and 14th Avenue
One-way operation
 T Third Street Forest Hill
towards Sunnydale
Location

History
Former street-level stop outside Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1967

Opening in 1918, the station originally was similar to a regular curbside stop at the entrance to the tunnel. But when streetcar system was partially converted to light rail in the late 1970s, the existing underground metro station was built in its place.

On July 18, 2009, the West Portal station was the scene of a collision between a K Ingleside train and a L Taraval train. An estimated 44 people were injured.[2]

The station was temporarily closed from June 25 to August 24, 2018, during the Twin Peaks Tunnel shutdown.[3] A crossover just east of West Portal station, installed during the shutdown, was named the Malcolm Heinicke Crossover after a former SFMTA board member in July 2020.[4]

West Portal is a bottleneck for Muni Metro trains in all directions, as automobiles blocking train traffic momentarily can cause cascading delays. During the shutdown, new switches and a new control panel were installed to improve manual operation of the intersection. In 2019, parking control officers were assigned to direct traffic through the unsignaled intersection, which reduced delays by 40%.[5]

As part of August 2020 changes to Muni Metro, the K and L were through-routed as an all-surface line, with frequent S Shuttle service between West Portal and Embarcadero. Mini-high platforms were constructed on Ulloa Street at West Portal to provide accessible transfer between the K/L and subway trains.[6] The forced transfer at West Portal was criticized by disability advocates.[7]

References
  1. Perles, Anthony (1981). The People's Railway: The History of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco. Interurban Press. p. 70. ISBN 0916374424.
  2. "44 hurt after rail cars collide in San Francisco". CNN.com. 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  3. "Twin Peaks Tunnel Improvements". San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018.
  4. "Malcolm Heinicke: A Celebration of Accomplishments" (Press release). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. July 28, 2020.
  5. Swan, Rachel (February 25, 2019). "Muni puts bottleneck under microscope in effort to curb bus, rail delays". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. "West Portal LK Transfer Project". San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  7. Graf, Carly (August 18, 2020). "Muni 'improvements' could make things harder for seniors, disabled". San Francisco Examiner.

Media related to West Portal station at Wikimedia Commons


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