While San Francisco is well known for its cable cars, there are some historic forms of public transit returning to the streets this summer. The annual Summer Vintage Streetcar Service has officially started again, with historic streetcars in service throughout the summer.
While you’re probably used to seeing some of the colorful street cars still in service, running from the waterfront to the Castro, SFMTA is bringing back some historic streetcars that aren’t typically in service. One of the most popular streetcars is the Boat Tram, with entirely outdoor seating that is perfect for sightseeing on a sunny day.
The other historic cars in service include Milan Tram, Melbourne Tram, and Car 1 along the F line on Fridays, Saturdays, and select summer holidays. The additional streetcars will also make service more frequent, reducing wait times during the busy summer months for the area. The additional streetcars will run from 12 to 7 pm, although the schedule could change, so we recommend checking out this live location map. Plus, the Boat Tram and Melbourne will be free to ride. The summer program will run until October 13, so you have plenty of time to catch a ride on the unique streetcars.
SFMTA’s historic streetcars
The popular Boat Tram actually dates back to the 1930s, when it was used as a tram for a seaside resort in England. The tram was used for coastal tours in the resort for many years, and SF recently refurbished one of the cars to use as part of the summer heritage service. The Melbourne car is aptly named, hailing from Australia, and was built in 1928. Similarly, the Milan car was also built in 1928 for use as a streetcar in Milan. Finally, the fleet of vintage trams is completed with Car 1, Muni’s first electric streetcar that was built in 1912.
A local nonprofit, Market Street Railway, campaigns to enhance the historic transit in SF and collaborates with SFMTA to support the streetcars.
The vintage trams are currently operating on Fridays and Saturdays until October 13 on the F line. Whether you use them for your daily commute or you just want to take in the scenery, we highly recommend catching a ride at some point this summer.