The Central Subway North Beach Extension Study explores a northward extension of the Central Subway. A 2014 concept study examined an extension to areas including North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf. Outreach for the Central Subway Extension Alternatives Study began in 2018. The SFMTA relaunched the study as the Central Subway North Beach Extension Study in 2026.
The Study will now evaluate a one-station extension to North Beach. While Chinatown-Rose Pak Station is the northern terminal of the Central Subway, its subway tunnels were dug north of the station. The tunnels terminate in North Beach at Columbus Avenue and Union Street. These unfinished tunnels may make it possible to extend the subway to North Beach faster and with less expense than a longer extension.
The Study will develop a cost estimate and document feasibility considerations. A one-station extension will be compared to a multi-station extension to Fisherman’s Wharf and beyond. This comparison will include the benefits, tradeoffs and considerations of each. A one-station extension to North Beach does not rule out an additional future extension.
This Study will provide information to prioritize major rail expansions in the future. The Study will not make decisions about station locations or alignments.
- Planning
Background & Past Public Engagement
In January 2026, District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter convened a hearing on a variety of topics related to the T Third. One of these topics was a potential Central Subway extension. Many people who participated in the hearing expressed support for a Central Subway extension. This included many interested in first extending the subway to North Beach. This would make use of the existing tunnel as an interim phase in advance of further extension later.
North Beach has been under consideration for significant transit expansion since 1994. The Four Corridors Plan recommended four priority areas for future transportation investment. The “North Beach corridor” was one priority area. The T Third Phase 3 Concept Study (2014) explored a future potential expansion beyond Chinatown. The study was conducted while the construction of the Central Subway was underway. It included a technical feasibility analysis of various alignments and stations. Alignments and station locations included North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf. It concluded that most were feasible.
The Central Subway Extension Alternatives Study (2018) sought to further explore T Third extension to the north. Staff held open house meetings and conducted a survey to understand the needs and goals of the community. This outreach culminated in documented key community priorities for a subway extension. The project was put on hold due to the pandemic.
North Beach Extension Study
The 2026 Study focuses on the possibility of a North Beach extension. This extension would use the existing unfinished tunnels. Pursuit of this extension has the potential to deliver service to North Beach sooner. This would be separate from any potential further extension.
This project will position the agency for future decisions about a potential Central Subway extension. It would develop a rough cost estimate for an extension to North Beach. This would include conceptual design work needed for costing purposes such as:
- Potential options for a North Beach station.
- Systems that would need to be installed in the unfinished tunnel. That includes for systems like track, power and signals.
- Connecting the unfinished tunnel to the existing Central Subway.
We would then use this information to compare how a North Beach extension would affect the cost and feasibility of additional extension.
This study is planned to be completed between mid-2026 and mid-2028. Currently, the SFMTA faces the largest financial crisis in the agency’s history, after federal, state, and regional pandemic relief funds were eliminated beginning July 1, 2026. The loss of these funds created a structural deficit (or fiscal cliff) for the SFMTA of $307M in the first year that that would have begun in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2027. The SFMTA’s budget gap is expected to grow through FY 2030.
For more information about the SFMTA’s funding strategy, please visit SFMTA.com/budget.
