B737 FLC INITIATE HOLD ON SFO TXWY - N; EVEN THOUGH CLRED TO CROSS RWY 28L; WHEN OBSERVING ANOTHER ACR; WITH LIGHTS ON; BEGIN TKOF ROLL.

Narrative

GROUND CONTROL CLEARED US TO RWY 28L AT THE SAME TIMEAS TOWER CLEARED AN ACFT FOR TFOF. WE WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 28L; N-TXWY. GND TOLD US COMPANY ACFT IS IN POSITION AND HOLD; TAXI ACROSS RWY 28L AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28R. FO READ BACK INSTRUCTIONS AND WE PROCEEDED TO MOVE. THE ACFT IN POSITION HAD THEIR LIGHT ON (AS PER SOP). BOTH THE FO AND I NOTICED THAT THE ACFT WAS MOVING FORWARD VERY SLOWLY. I STOPED OUR ACFT. THE OTHER ACFT TOOK OFF. THE NOSE OF OUR ACFT WAS OVER THE HOLD LINE (NOT ON THE RWY). THE FO TOLD GRD THAT OUR NOSE WAS OVER THE HOLD LINE. THE GND CONTROLLER TOLD US THERE WAS AN ACFT IN POSITION AND TO CROSS 28L AND RWY 28R ( THE TOWER SUPERVISOR LISTENED TO THE TAPES AND SAID THERE WAS MISCOMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TOWER CONTROLLER AND THE GND CONTROLLER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED GND CTL THAT THEY WERE BEHIND THE HOLD SHORT LINE ON TXWY N; BUT SHORT OF THE RWY EDGE; AFTER THE DEP PASSED THEIR POSITION. PIC CALLED SFO AFTER RETURN FLT AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE INCIDENT WAS UNDER REVIEW. THE FLT CREW REFUSED TO CROSS THE RWY WHEN SEEING THE DEP ACFT'S LIGHTS ON-- KNOWING THIS WAS THE COMPANY PROC AFTER RECEIVING TKOF CLRNC FROM THE TOWER. THE INCIDNET WAS REVIEWED WITH COMPANY.