Fort Mason Tunnel
 The west portal of the Fort Mason Tunnel in disuse | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | State Belt Railroad |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Status | Closed |
| Start | Van Ness |
| End | Marina Blvd. at Laguna St. |
| No. of stations | None |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1914 |
| Owner | National Park Service |
| Character | Underground tunnel |
| Technical | |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge |
4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
Fort Mason Tunnel is a single track railway tunnel in San Francisco. It was built in 1914 to bypass Fort Mason. The east portal is near the north end of Van Ness Avenue, and the west portal feeds onto the east end of Marina Boulevard at Laguna Street.
History
Its construction in 1914 served several purposes. The rail link supplied goods and mass transit to the Panama Pacific International Exposition the following year,[1] and the US Army utilized the line for construction of the Port of Embarkation.[2] The tunnel operated as part of the State Belt Railroad until the route's suspension in 1993.
Future
In 2012, the National Park Service released a final environmental impact report on providing extended service though the tunnel to the San Francisco Municipal Railway F Market & Wharves line.[3] The E Embarcadero line may also see extension through the tunnel.
References
- ↑ Saperstein, Susan. "San Francisco Tunnel History and Miscellany". Guidelines. SF City Guides. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ↑ "The San Francisco Port of Embarkation". NPS.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ↑ "Extension of F-Line Streetcar Service to Fort Mason Center". NPS.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 12 August 2015.