Train services will be suspended and replaced with bus services, as ridership drops.

As from Monday, March 30, all Muni Metro and light rail routes will be replaced by buses during the shelter in place order. For now, there has been no timeframe specified for the closures and changes.

Bus substitutions for the J, KT, L, M, and N lines using the same bus stops as the early morning Metro bus service, according to SFMTA.

All Muni Metro stations will be closed with the exception of the BART station downtown. In other words, Civic Center, Powell, New Montgomery and Embarcadero will be the only stations open.

The following Muni Rapid routes will also be temporarily be discontinued: 5R, 9R, 28R, and 38R. However, the 14R Mission Rapid route will remain in service.

Additionally, starting from Saturday, April 4, the 47 Van Ness will be temporarily discontinued on Saturdays and Sundays. The 49 Van Ness route will be extended between North Point and Fisherman’s Wharf to cover the 47 segments on weekends.

“Closing the Muni Metro underground system will allow us to redirect custodial resources to other, higher-use facilities and minimizes risk to our station agents. Based on our ridership data and observations, we do not expect these changes to impact the ability of our riders and operators to maintain social distance,” the SFMTA announcement said.

The news came shortly after the service was reportedly experiencing major losses, with Municipal Transportation Agency Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin tweeting “We were poised for major service improvements. But now we are making contingency plans for cutting service”.

Featured image: Bill Morrow via Wikimedia