In early August, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved the approximately $1.3 billion Central Subway project, which will extend the Municipal Railway (Muni Metro) into Chinatown.
Currently scheduled for a 2016 completion, the 1.7-mile (2.8km) long route will have four stops, one at street level and three underground. Reports say an additional 2000ft (610m) long stretch of tunnel will be constructed at North Beach to allow for future expansion.
The subway is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project and has been described as “vital to connecting the city’s civic, business and cultural centers with the diverse communities along the corridor,” by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
