West Portal station explained

West Portal
Address:West Portal Avenue at Ulloa Street
Borough:San Francisco, California
Coordinates:37.7409°N -122.466°W
Line:Twin Peaks Tunnel
Platform:2 side platforms
Tracks:2
Connections: Muni:,
Accessible:Yes
Opened:February 3, 1918
Rebuilt:1978–1980
Mapframe:yes

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.

History

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. The BART Board approved the name "West Portal" in December 1965.[1]

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]

On March 16, 2024, a motorist in an SUV crashed into the L Taraval bus stop at the station, killing a family of four.[8] In April 2024, the city announced plans for changes to the intersection including transit lanes and turn restrictions.[9] On July 16, 2024, the SFMTA approved a modified package of changes that included fewer transit lanes and turn restrictions, as well as a redesign of the "horseshoe" area at the station entrance into a pedestrian plaza.[10] [11] [12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay . Oakland Tribune . December 10, 1965 . 10 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: July 18, 2009 . 44 hurt after rail cars collide in San Francisco . CNN.com . February 11, 2014.
  3. Web site: June 25, 2018 . Twin Peaks Tunnel Improvements . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626232234/https://www.sfmta.com/projects/twin-peaks-tunnel-improvements-0 . June 26, 2018 . San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  4. Malcolm Heinicke: A Celebration of Accomplishments . July 28, 2020 . San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency .
  5. News: Swan . Rachel . February 25, 2019 . Muni puts bottleneck under microscope in effort to curb bus, rail delays . San Francisco Chronicle .
  6. Web site: West Portal LK Transfer Project . June 23, 2020 . San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  7. News: Graf . Carly . August 18, 2020 . Muni 'improvements' could make things harder for seniors, accessible . San Francisco Examiner .
  8. News: Family members identified after deadly wrong-way driving crash in West Portal . https://web.archive.org/web/20240418182443/https://sfstandard.com/2024/03/18/woman-78-accused-of-manslaughter-wrong-way-driving-in-fatal-west-portal-crash/ . April 18, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . The San Francisco Standard . Joe . Burn . Garrett . Leahy.
  9. News: After deaths of 4 in West Portal, San Francisco plans major traffic changes . https://web.archive.org/web/20240418181923/https://sfstandard.com/2024/04/18/san-francisco-west-portal-safety-changes/ . April 18, 2024 . April 18, 2024 . The San Francisco Standard . Joel . Umanzor . Garrett . Leahy.
  10. Web site: This Print Covers Calendar Item No.: 11 . July 16, 2024 . San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  11. Web site: West Portal Station Safety and Community Space Improvements . July 16, 2024 . San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  12. News: Street safety changes are coming to S.F.’s West Portal. Here’s when they take effect . https://web.archive.org/web/20240717020248/https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s-f-street-safety-west-portal-19577034.php . July 17, 2024 . July 16, 2024 . Ricardo . Cano . San Francisco Chronicle.