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CIVIC EDGE CONSULTING
How do you unite a city, rallying multiple city agencies, communities, and representatives to celebrate a grand opening? After decades of exhaustive planning, community engagement, and construction, the Central Subway dream came to fruition as a necessary goal for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to further achieve its mission of connecting the diverse communities within San Francisco. From Sunnydale to Chinatown, the newest San Francisco subway in 40 years opened partial service in late 2022 and culminated in an epic celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony in January 2023.
The design and delivery of the Central Subway was a construction challenge - the track was long and the agency had to dig deep. Such an accomplishment required a celebration to match its significance. A great deal of planning, coordination, and teamwork would be required to allow for the celebration that was deserved for all involved and the city that would benefit for many years to come. Our goal was to pay tribute to the federal, state and local investments, incorporate a new rail line, four brand new state-of-the-art stations, and celebrate what some thought was impossible for San Francisco coming back after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Civic Edge planned and organized across city agencies to achieve a memorable, multi-station celebration for the new Central Subway. Given the project’s size and significance to the city, we knew the event couldn’t be limited to one location. So, we brought the celebration through the tunnels to key stations, with a ribbon-cutting at Union Square Station.
The Civic Edge team was responsible for planning and organizing the 100+ event staff and proactively communicating with all partners in order to make the event magic happen. Hosting the event in multiple operational transit stations demanded careful consideration of accessibility and safety to ensure the space was functional for event guests and transit riders. Our team ensured guests were greeted, VIPs were tended to, and regular riders caught their trains.
Months of planning with the SFMTA and additional agency partners culminated in an action-packed morning featuring the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, speakers, performances, elected officials including former Speaker Pelosi and Mayor Breed, and an unforgettable whistle stop train ride at Chase Center.
This long-awaited opening of the Central Subway was a celebration of years of advocacy, organizing, and community-based outreach to further unify San Franciscans - and gained the SFMTA a great deal of well deserved praise and media coverage!
