Don’t try to use the live E- and F-line maps linked to this website right now. This post from SFMTA (Muni) explains why.
The maps we use, customized with icons of streetcars in the historic fleet, are really cool when they work, because they show you exactly which cars are on the line and where they are. We know people all over the world check in on these maps every day to follow their favorite vintage streetcars. The data that feeds those maps is the same that provides arrival times to electronic signs at stops for all Muni bus and rail lines. Muni is in the process of updating the way its buses and railcars communicate their position, but the process has hit a big snag, so riders can’t count on the maps or signs right now. Many vehicles are just not showing up on the database, resulting in displays of much longer wait times than is actually the case. This affects every LRV on the J, K, L, M, N, and T lines, most vehicles on the E- and F-line, and most buses as well.
Of course, when the streetcars of the E- and F-line were in their original service lives, the only database available was your own eyes, as in, “Can I see a car coming?” So just consider it a retro moment.
For reference, F-line headways (the time between streetcars) are 6-7 minutes during the day, 10 minutes in mid-evening, and 15 minutes late night. E-line headways are 20 minutes during that line’s operating hours of 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Here are links to the current schedules for the E-Embarcadero line and F-Market and Wharves line on 511.org.
Use the pull-down menus under the route name at the top of the page of these links to select the day of the week and inbound/outbound schedules.
I just checked the F-line Live map and there were 11 streetcars and two buses. The E line display showed three Torpedoes. Looks like some of the problems have been addressed (but we’ll wait for an official notice).