San Francisco – Final OK for Streetcar Rehab

Rail Transit Online – September 2009

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Aug. 18 voted to award an $18.7-million contract to Brookville Equipment Corp. for the refurbishment of 16 PCC streetcars. This is the final approval needed for the deal, which was given the green light last June 16 by the Municipal Transportation Agency's board of directors.

Brookville will completely rewire 11 cars purchased five years ago from the Newark City Subway to improve their reliability. In addition, five long-retired Muni PCCs will be rehabilitated, four double-enders and single-end No. 1040, the last U.S.-built PCC which was delivered to San Francisco in 1952.

The all-volunteer Market Street Railway (MSR) has been lobbying for restoration of the Muni cars for more than 10 years to help deal with overcrowding on the F-Market & Wharves line. "They will also allow the opening of the E-Embarcadero line between Caltrain and Fisherman's Wharf, and would provide the rolling stock for the planned extension from the Wharf past Aquatic Park and Ghirardelli Square to Fort Mason," said MSR President Rick Laubscher on the group's blog.

www.streetcar.org