San Francisco Muni Metro riders hit a slow crawl through the Duboce area this afternoon after a track-switch problem near the Duboce Portal forced trains to slow and turn back early. Inbound and outbound subway lines saw sluggish service, switchbacks and stretched-out travel times while crews hustled to sort out the glitch and transit staff scrambled to line up replacement buses.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency flagged the issue on X at about 2:09 PM PDT today, warning of a "switch issue near Duboce Portal" and telling riders to "expect delays & switchbacks." According to SFMTA, crews were working on getting bus shuttle support to cover parts of the affected routes while the problem gets sorted out. We've embedded the agency's original post below so riders can see the update directly.
ATTN: OB #subwaysvc switch issue near Duboce Portal. IB/OB subway experiencing slow moving service. Expect delays & switchbacks. We're working on getting bus shuttle support.
— SFMTA (@SFMTA_Muni) March 9, 2026
What the agency said
"IB/OB subway experiencing slow moving service," SFMTA wrote on X, repeating that riders should expect delays & switchbacks while crews check the switch near the Sunset Tunnel portal. The post noted that staff were coordinating bus shuttles to backstop the subway on affected stretches as repair work continues. The advisory did not offer any estimate for when regular service might return.
Duboce Portal's track problems are not new
The Duboce Portal and the adjacent Sunset Tunnel have seen their share of trouble before, according to SFMTA reports and local coverage. Those post-incident summaries document earlier switch-related slowdowns in the Duboce area, and CBS San Francisco detailed a September 2025 speeding incident near Duboce Park that triggered safety reviews. Together, the records show how a single balky switch or tunnel issue can ripple across the Muni network right when riders need it most.
How riders can respond
For now, riders should pad their schedules, look at alternate surface routes or buses and keep an eye on official SFMTA posts on X for real-time updates. Regional planning tools such as 511.org can help track shuttle options and alternate paths. If bus shuttles are deployed, expect packed stops, fuller buses and waits that run longer than a typical weekday ride.
This story will be updated if the agency releases more details about what went wrong or when full service will be restored. Until then, anyone traveling on lines that use the Market Street subway and the Duboce Portal should be prepared for delays through the evening commute.
