SFMTA has confirmed to us that Muni Heritage Weekend in 2020 will take place August 22-23. This is earlier than the past few years and should give opportunities for more families from out of town to attend. We expect a repeat of past years’ successful events, featuring streetcars, cable cars, and buses from 70-137 years old carrying happy riders along the streets of San Francisco, with our San Francisco Railway Museum at the center of the action.
There are constraints on when this increasingly popular event to be scheduled. To ensure sufficient extra operators to pilot the heritage streetcars and buses, it can’t conflict with special events that require extra Muni service, such as Giants’ baseball games or major festivals. The plaza across from our Museum must be available from the city’s Recreation & Parks Department for staging and static displays, and plaza reservations didn’t open until a couple of weeks ago. And it must not conflict with periods when it is hard to get extra operators to work overtime, such as Labor Day Weekend.
One September weekend, the 19th and 20th, would have met these criteria, but that is Rosh Hashanah, and we and SFMTA agreed on the August 22-23 dates instead. The traction action runs from 11 am – 5 pm both Saturday and Sunday.
Folks coming from out of town can plan their visit with confidence now. We will be providing updates in the coming months on details of the event as we flesh out the activities. But there’ll be plenty to do; count on it. We will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the permanent F-line on Market Street and the 20th anniversary of its extension to Fisherman’s Wharf, so look for some special activities. We’ll also have some special activities for our members, particularly those in the Operator’s Circle ($250 or more in annual support). Stand by!
