San Francisco cable car system

San Francisco cable car system
A cable car on a steep urban street
Cable car on Hyde Street in 2023, with Alcatraz Island and Fisherman's Wharf in the background
Overview
OwnerSan Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Area servedChinatown, Embarcadero, Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf, Nob Hill, North Beach, Russian Hill, Union Square
LocaleSan Francisco
Transit typeCable car
Number of lines3
Line number
  • 59/PM (Powell–Mason line)
  • 60/PH (Powell–Hyde line)
  • 61/C (California St. line)
Number of stations62
Daily ridership14,900 (2019)[1]
Annual ridership5,719,900 (2019)[1]
HeadquartersSan Francisco Cable Car Museum
Websitesfmta.com/cablecars
Operation
Began operation
  • California St. line: 1878
  • Powell–Mason line: 1888
  • Powell–Hyde line: 1957[2][3]
Operator(s)San Francisco Municipal Railway
CharacterStreet running with some reserved right-of-ways
Number of vehicles
  • California St. line:
    12 double-ended cars
  • Powell–Mason/Hyde lines:
    28 single-ended cars
Technical
System length
  • California St. line: 1.4 mi (2.3 km)
  • Powell–Mason line: 1.6 mi (2.6 km)
  • Powell–Hyde line: 2.1 mi (3.4 km)
No. of tracks2
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Top speed9.5 mph (15.3 km/h)
San Francisco Cable Cars
Powell–Hyde cable car crossing Lombard Street on Russian Hill
Location1201 Mason Street, San Francisco (car barn)
Coordinates37°47′44″N 122°24′27″W / 37.79556°N 122.40750°W / 37.79556; -122.40750
Built1873
ArchitectAndrew Smith Hallidie[5]
NRHP reference No.66000233[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLJanuary 29, 1964[6]
System map
Map
F Market & Wharves
Hyde & Beach
Hyde & North Point
Hyde & Bay
Taylor & Bay
F Market & Wharves
Hyde & Chestnut
Columbus & Chestnut
Hyde & Lombard
Columbus & Lombard
Hyde & Greenwich
Mason & Greenwich
Hyde & Filbert
Mason & Filbert
Hyde & Union
Mason & Union
Hyde │ Mason & Green
Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit
California & Van Ness
Hyde │ Mason & Vallejo
California & Polk
Hyde │ Mason & Broadway
California & Larkin
Hyde │ Mason & Pacific
California & Hyde
Jackson & Hyde
California & Leavenworth
Washington │ Jackson & Leavenworth
California & Jones
Washington │ Jackson & Jones
California & Taylor
Washington │ Jackson & Taylor
California & Mason
Washington │ Jackson & Mason
Powell & Washington │ Jackson
T Third Street
Powell & Clay
Powell & Sacramento
Powell & California
California & Stockton
Powell & Pine
California & Grant
Powell & Bush
California & Kearny
Powell & Sutter
California & Montgomery
T Third Street
Powell & Post
California & Sansome
Geary Bus Rapid Transit
Powell & Geary
California & Battery
Powell & O'Farrell
California & Front
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Powell & Market
California & Davis
California & Drumm
Bay Area Rapid Transit

The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. The system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which also includes the separate E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves heritage streetcar lines, and the Muni Metro modern light rail system. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street.

While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of the millions of passengers who use the system every year are tourists, and as a result, the wait to get on can often reach two hours or more. They are among the most significant tourist attractions in the city, along with Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco's cable cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of only two street railways to be named a National Historic Landmark, along with the St. Charles Streetcar Line in New Orleans.

  1. ^ a b "Public Transportation Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2019" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association (APTA). February 27, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Kamiya, Gary (February 8, 2014). "How S.F.'s cable cars were saved after an uphill battle". SFGate. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  3. ^ "Ride the Cable Car Lines". Market Street Railway. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System – (#66000233)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. ^ Dillon, James. "San Francisco Cable Cars" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places – Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "NHL Summary". Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2008.