By Ching Yuen, staff writer
It took SFMTA 10 years and it is finally here. Costing over $1.9 billion and digging 1.7 miles of new tunnels, the Central Subway project, which is an extension of the existing T line, will connect neighbors as far south to Bayview and as far north to Chinatown when it fully opens on January 7th, 2023. The new stations opened for public testing on Nov. 19, 2022. As a resident in Chinatown, I am very excited to check out the new subway on my street.
Starting at Chinatown Station
Today is actually the second day of the official opening, Nov. 20, 2022, because I wanted to avoid the large crowds on the first day. My goal for the day was to get to Powell station by transferring at the new Union Square station. I started my trip at Chinatown station, the northbound terminus of the T line. The exterior of the Chinatown station is constructed with jade green glass panels with red accents. The lobby was mostly clean and it was tiled with smooth gray stone. The lobby also captures a lot of natural light for its glass design.
Going down the escalators, I was given a friendly surprise by a large Chinese paper cut on the wall. The artwork was so large that it filled the whole wall, giving life to the escalator interchange.
Continuing my way down, the second set of escalators was the most shocking. The sheer depth of the escalator created the illusion that I am standing on a very tall building, when in reality I was underground. Supporting beams criss crossed above my head, all lit up by LED lights. At the end of the second escalator, I finally found the gates. All the gates were open because SFMTA provides free service during its opening phase.
There is one massive difference that I noticed between the new Chinatown station and the pre-existing ones: illumination. Despite being deep underground, the station was well lit everywhere I went. As I took the final escalator to arrive at the platform, I looked around in awe. The glass panels supported by stainless steel frames creates a sci-fi vibe like I just walked out of a tunnel in a spaceship. Ceilings were high and lights were able to hang beneath, lighting up the yellow markers on the floor. Visibility was always lacking in older stations, but SFMTA seems to have solved it. Turning the corner, I was welcomed by a gorgeous, two-cart train. The current train was first introduced to the public in 2017 and the new fleet has been growing ever since. I used to see these trains every since a while a few years ago, but now the new trains are the dominant model used in everyday SF subway and streetcar.
Arriving at Union Square
Currently, the central subway trains run every 12 minutes. When I was on the train, it took too long to leave the station. I suppose train frequency would increase once they are in full service. However, it is still too slow to just get to Union Square which is only a 0.5 mile, 8 minute walk from the Chinatown station. Regardless, the train ride took no longer than one minute, which is great for a speedy connection over one of the most congested sections of the city during rush hour. At last, I arrived at Union Square station. When I stepped onto the platform, my initial impression of the platform was average. However, my evaluation comes from my perspective that every other old platform was below average. Therefore, the Union Square platform was an improvement from the past. Similar to the Chinatown station, bright lights were critical in making the place look clean and modern. One thing I noticed was that there were lights installed next to the bare stone walls next to the track. The lights also served as a decorative element, revealing the striking details of the stone wall.
Despite the artistic display, there was visible water flowing into the tracks, raising concerns for potential safety issues. The leakage also affected a large portion of the track and red Solo cups were used to divert the water. It seems like our $1.9 billion dollars project could use more cups instead of high quality materials and solutions.
Walking in the Corridor
According to SFMTA director, Jeffrey Tumlin, the escalator at Union Square was the longest in the western United States. As I took the massive escalator up to the intermediate level, I was surprised to see all the support beams needed to hold the place up. To be fair, the platform was really deep and there was only one escalator going up. In fact, it was so deep now I am starting to think if the train ride was faster than taking the escalator up.
Regardless, I made it to the top of the escalator and arrived at the corridor. The corridor that connects Union Square and Powell Station is ridiculously long and I was not even walking the full length of it. Everything about the corridor was modern and sleek, from the white floor to the same stone wall that was at the Union Square platform. However, the most iconic element of the corridor was easily the color changing LED panels hanging from the ceiling for the entirety of the corridor. It was nice to see SFMTA incorporating more art into their stations. I exited the gates and arrived at Powell Station.
My Final Thoughts
My overall impression of the station on its first week of opening was positive. There were a lot of good things to say about the stations like the bright lights and numerous pieces of artwork. After having the same subway stations at Market Street for so long, the stations were aesthetically pleasing with newer architecture that reflected a more modern style. I would rate the stations a 9/10 because I think the walk to get to the train platform was too long; otherwise, this was the best experience I had with SF subway.
