Muni “Double Berthing” Set to Test This Saturday, Launch a Week Later

Muni could launch "double berthing," or boarding two trains simultaneously in its Metro stations, as early as next weekend -- if all goes well in a live test this Saturday, SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin told an agency board meeting today.

Reiskin said Muni officials will demonstrate the feature on Saturday morning for officials at the CA Public Utilities Commission, who must sign off before Muni finally allows two trains at once to board passengers within its underground stations.

"We're hoping -- if we get their approval -- to start this in revenue service a week later, on December 13," Reiskin said, adding that SFMTA will launch a campaign to inform riders of the change using "ambassadors," flyers, signs, and social media.

The launch date seems more firm than ever, after more than two years of delays from SFMTA officials. Delays were attributed to difficulties in upgrading the software for train controls and platform announcements, and most recently construction on the Sunset tunnel. The original launch date was in October 2012.

The new practice will be "a small but significant change for those who are sometimes frustratingly looking at the platform, but we don't let them disembark on to it," said Reiskin.