Visitors Disappointed By San Francisco Cable Car Shutdown
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- There's nothing more iconic than a ride on San Francisco's famed cable cars but, for tourists like Andres Ramos, those memories will be more of the motorized variety.
San Francisco's cable car system shut down Friday for 10-day maintenance hiatus as work crews refurbish the Hyde Gearbox. A repair that requires the master cable that powers the system to be shut down.
"I was saying, 'Oh, tomorrow I will take it,' Ramos said of his plans during his visit. "And today it doesn't work."
Photographer Paul Watkins had come to the Bay Area from San Diego hoping to get the perfect shot of a cable car cresting the hill on Powell Street.
"I like to do street photography so I figured it'd be something cool to grab while I was out here," he said.
Miriam Koenig is visiting the Bay Area from Germany. She was thankful that she and her husband took a ride on Thursday.
"We did it yesterday," she told KPIX 5. "It was good!"
San Francisco Municipal Transit spokesperson Erica Kato said officials have been putting out the word for months, warning visitors of the planned shutdown.
"We've been trying to put the word out for months now," she said. "This project has been in the works for years."
Bus shuttles will replace the cable cars for local commuters.
