Halloween Service Updates for BART and Muni

NOTE: These service updates are for Halloween in 2007.

Although Halloween in the Castro is “officially not happening” this year, the city is trying to discourage folks from making it happen anyway. Not only will the Castro be policed, but Muni and BART will operate on a quirky schedule, tailor-made to discourage anyone from going to the Castro on Halloween night. Unfortunately, this will come at some inconvenience to people who live and work in the Castro/Mission/Upper Market area, or even those that happen to pass through this part of the city. Here are the service updates, posted on the SFMTA website, but clarified here for your convenience:

The 16th St Mission BART station will be closed from 8:00 pm onwards on Halloween night, so all trains will skip that station, expressing between 24th Street and Civic Center. BART passengers traveling to the 16th/Mission area can: (1) get off at 24th St station and take Muni lines 14 or 49 north to 16th Street; or: (2) get off at Civic Center station, walk one long block south to Mission Street and take the 14 line south to 16th Street.

Church, Castro, Forest Hill, and West Portal Muni Metro stations will be closed from 8:30 pm onwards on Halloween night. Please note that this is one hour earlier than what has been standard during the overhead wire replacement project. Further details:

• Passengers bound for one of these four stations may ride an outbound train to Van Ness station, and transfer to a bus shuttle service that will run between Van Ness and West Portal.
• Service on the N-Judah will be unaffected.
• Service on the J-Church is currently planned to be unaffected, but depending on traffic, there may be a need to run the J partially as a bus shuttle, to reroute around possible traffic in Upper Market. If this happens, the J will run underground between Embarcadero and Van Ness, and as a bus shuttle past Van Ness.
• The L-Taraval and M-Oceanview lines will not enter the subway at all past 8:30 pm; both lines will run between West Portal and their terminal points. Inbound L and M passengers can ride the replacement bus shuttle from West Portal.
• The KT-Ingleside/Third Street line will operate as two disconnected parts: (1) between Balboa Park and West Portal, and (2) between Van Ness and Sunnydale.

The MTA also adds some information about bus lines and the replacement shuttles:

• The replacement bus shuttle between Van Ness and West Portal in the outbound direction will start at the northwest corner of Van Ness and Market. Inbound bus shuttles will terminate at Van Ness near 11th Street. Bus shuttles will stop at the curb, not on the islands.
• The F-Market line will run as bus replacement.
• Bus lines 22, 24, 33, 37, and all Owl routes are currently planned to being unaffected, but depending on traffic, all buses (including the Metro replacement shuttles) may have to be rerouted.

Service will depend on the extent to which buses may have to reroute around the Castro and Upper Market, so plan accordingly, allow extra travel time, and have a fun and safe Halloween!