SFMTA Press Release Islais Creek

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates Muni, today announced the opening of the city’s new state-of-the art maintenance and operations facility, Islais Creek. This is the first time the agency has opened a bus maintenance facility in 30 years. The SFMTA is also rolling out Muni service upgrades that will benefit riders on the 1AX/1BX Express, 8AX/BX Express, 9R San Bruno routes and the K/T and N train lines.

The Islais Creek Hybrid Motor Coach Facility is an 8.3 acre bus maintenance yard located at the convergence of the Bayview, Dogpatch and Potrero Hill neighborhoods adjacent to I-280, Cesar Chavez, and Indiana Streets. The facility can accommodate both 40-foot and 60-foot hybrid buses – keeping them clean, in good working order and on the road moving San Franciscans and visitors. Along with creating space to house Muni’s growing fleet of environmentally-friendly hybrid motor coaches, the facility is modern and energy efficient and will house a full operator, dispatch, and maintenance staff. Additionally, neighborhood amenities beautify the area and add an important meeting space that embraces the needs of the neighborhood.

“The beautiful Islais Creek promenade and landscaping, the public second-floor view of the historic Crane Cove statue, and much-needed community space are a testament to the strong community advocates in this process, while the state-of-the art facility is a symbol of San Francisco's transit-first, low emissions planning,” said Supervisor Malia Cohen. “We need more projects that balance City need without compromising community access. I look forward to seeing how this space will continue to build the Dogpatch Community.”

Starting this Saturday, the SFMTA will roll out another round of Muni Forward service upgrades to a number of routes throughout the city. Service improvements include:

• Adding 18 new trains to decrease wait times on Muni Metro Rail and increasing service on the N, K/T lines;
• Larger buses for more room on the 1AX/1BX Express and 9R
• Increasing the number of buses to decrease bus crowding on the 8AX/8BX

Not long ago, Muni had one of the oldest fleets in the nation, but now has one of the nation’s most modern – and greenest. The Islais Creek Yard is a modern maintenance facility built with the technology needed to safely and effectively maintain the new low-floor buses. Many older Muni facilities have low ceilings and no bus lifts, requiring employees to work outside. Old yards make it more difficult and less safe for workers maintaining the buses.

“As San Francisco continues to grow, so do the increases in the demand for service,” said SFMTA Chairman, Cheryl Brinkman. “Our Muni facilities need to grow and modernize in order to reliably serve our customers. Projects like Islais Creek make it possible for our employees to work safely and effectively to deliver great service.”

In the coming years, the SFMTA’s Building Progress program will rebuild and upgrade Muni’s outdated facilities, including the 100-year old Potrero and Presidio yards, creating modern maintenance facilities that will support Muni’s environmentally sustainable fleet plans. These projects are critical to stabilizing Muni’s infrastructure to keep vehicles on the road and in a state of good repair.   

“Muni service begins and ends in our bus and train yards,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin. “This investment in a state-of-the-art facility will enable us to accommodate increased Muni service to meet the demands of a growing city, while providing a modern, efficient workspace for our employees.”

Construction of the facility would not have been possible without the contributions of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the Federal Transportation Administration and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, TWU Local 250A and San Francisco Public Works. The full cost of the project is $122.5 million.

The new facility will not only allow Muni to fuel buses, service and maintain buses, as well as store them when not in use, but the buildings will also house 130 operators and administrative personnel, including dispatchers.

The new yard also provides amenities that contribute to a vibrant community in the growing Dogpatch neighborhood. A meeting space that will be available by reservation for community groups and other city agencies is included in the new building. The SFMTA constructed Shoreline Park, with art by Nobuho Nagasawa as part of an earlier project phase. The artwork, a large structure in the form of a “Liberty” ship, common in San Francisco after World War II, honors the creek’s port operations and shoreline history.

Learn more about the facility by visiting the Islais Creek Motor Coach Facility Project.