For information about other J Church related projects, please see the timeline for capital and service improvement projects along the line, or learn more at the following project webpages:
Before the pandemic, the J Church served 17,000 Muni riders each weekday in Noe Valley, the Castro, the Mission, Glen Park and Mission Terrace, and riders continue to return. We’ve heard concerns about Muni service reliability along the J Church corridor including long transit wait times, as well as concerns about vehicle speeding and safety for people walking. As part of the Muni Forward program, multiple J Church projects will focus on making improvements to address these concerns along Church Street and San Jose Avenue.
Reliability challenges
When delayed, the J Church often sees long gaps in service followed by the bunching of two or more trains in a row. A 2013 project improved reliability for the J Church on Church Street between Duboce and 16th Street. The project added red transit lanes and left-turn restrictions. The project was able to reduce travel time variability by 27%. It also improved travel times up to 14% on that segment. The SFMTA is building on the success of this project to address delays on the remainder of the line.
Over the last few years, we have heard the following concerns from J Church customers:
- Concerns about transit reliability and travel times
- Requests to improve safety, accessibility and features at train stops
- Requests to improve safety for people walking along and near the J Church
Church Street in Noe Valley
A future Muni Forward project will evaluate potential improvements from 22nd to 30th streets.
- September 2024: A proposal was taken to the engineering public hearing on September 6, 2024. The proposed changes were:
- 1) Change the existing 2-way STOP sign to a 4-way STOP sign at Church and 28th streets to help reduce vehicle collisions and improve safety.
- 2) Adjust the J Church stop spacing to better align with the new stop sign and create more even spacing. By relocating the Clipper Street stops to 26th Street and relocating the 27th Street stops to 28th Street, the proposal's aim is to improve travel times and reliability along the corridor for J Church riders. Stop spacing would be more even and would give more people access to a stop nearby.
- October 2024: On October 15, 2024, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved the proposal to install new stop signs and make changes to some Muni stops on Church Street in Noe Valley.
- Future Considerations: Other proposal details are expected in the future and will focus on safety and accessibility improvements at stops.
- Church & 29th Street: A previous proposal to remove the J Church stop on Church Street at 29th Street is no longer being considered.
No changes to the J Church route or frequency are being considered as part of this project.