Powell-Mason Cable Car Gearbox Rehabilitation

Bus shuttles substitute Mason Cable Cars September 21-29

The gearboxes that power the cable car system will be refurbished to keep the cable car system in the state of good repair. To accommodate the work, bus shuttles will substitute the Powell-Mason Line along the northern route from Washington and Powell streets to Taylor Street at Francisco Street. Bus service will begin on Friday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. until the end of service on Saturday, Sept. 29. Regular cable car service will resume at the start of service on Sunday, Sept. 30.

During this bus substitution, all other cable car lines will operate as usual. Powell-Mason customers traveling to the northern terminal at Francisco and Bay can ride Powell-Hyde Line and transfer to a bus at Washington and Powell streets to continue the rest of the trip.

The bus shuttles will follow the Mason Line and pick up passengers at the curb at cable car stops. The terminal at Francisco and Bay streets will be out of service. The temporary bus stop is on Taylor, north of Francisco Street. Bus service will be free for cable car customers. Regular fare of $7 will apply on cable car.

Maximizing the work window, track maintenance work will take place on the following streets at night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends and from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays on these streets:

     • Taylor and Francisco 9/21-9/23

     • Columbus and Mason 9/21-9/25

     • Columbus from Greenwich to Chestnut 9/22-9/23

     • Mason and Union 9/24-9/26

The purpose of the Cable Car Barn Propulsion Gearbox Rehabilitation Project is to overhaul and refurbish the gearboxes that have been in service since 1984. Each of the four gearboxes that are functioning in the Cable Car Barn at 1201 Mason Street takes about eight days to refurbish, after which there is a five-month break-in and monitoring periods. Out of the four gearboxes, the California gearbox was rehabbed in September last year. After the Mason Line work, there will be two more phases:

• Powell – spring 2019
• Hyde – fall of 2019

Mason Cable Car Bus Service Map: