SFMTA’s cable cars returning this summer

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) cable cars will return to the streets this summer as downtown economic activity returns. 

SFMTA staff will conduct mechanical inspections of the historic vehicles and operator retraining in mid-July. By the first week of August, SFMTA will test the system by inviting passengers aboard for the duration of a mock service trial, riding the lines where cable cars are operating and making stops. This mock service will be irregular, not following a particular schedule, as SFMTA works out any kinks in the system that might arise. 

By early September, cable car service will return--first to the Powell-Hyde line from about 7:30 a.m. until about 10:00 p.m. (though cars returning to the cable car barn after 10:00 p.m. will continue to take riders to Chinatown). Service on the Powell-Mason and California routes will then follow. 

Last March, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SFMTA temporarily halted cable car service as part of the city’s emergency response. This decision was made to best protect operators and the public. Muni resources were then shifted to a core network--a limited number of the most in-demand routes--to serve essential workers and accommodate physical distancing on San Francisco’s most utilized lines.  

The result was the longest cable car shutdown since the full system reconstruction in the 1980s. Now, to reboot the system requires significant work. Leading up to the return of San Francisco's cable cars, the SFMTA will recertify operators, hire line inspectors and prepare infrastructure to accommodate service.