SMART awarded $10.5 million in Senate Bill 1 funding | Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit

SMART Awarded $10.5 Million in Senate Bill 1 Funding

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 3:00pm
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District was awarded $10.5 million in funding Tuesday, January 30, 2018 which will be used for operating its new passenger train service. The funding, which will be distributed over a three-year period, is administered by the California State Transportation Agency as part of the State Rail Assistance program and is funded by Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). SMART was among seven recipients to receive a portion of the $51.9 million in rail assistance funding.

 

With the passage of SB 1 in April 2017, SMART was able to increase its passenger rail service to 34 trips each weekday and 10 trips on Saturdays and Sundays. With growing demand, SMART also recently expanded its two-car train set to three-cars during some of its peak commute times.

“This funding will allow us to continue to add more trips to our existing service schedule,” said Debora Fudge, chairwoman of SMART’s Board of Directors. “SB 1 funding will help ensure that we continue to grow so that we can meet the increasing demand for transportation alternatives in the North Bay.”

Since launching its passenger service in August, SMART has carried more than 300,000 passengers. SMART’s passenger train service currently covers a 43-mile corridor with stations in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Novato and San Rafael. Construction on the Larkspur extension is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. SMART is continuing to work on securing the funds needed to continue north to Windsor, Healdsburg, and Cloverdale to complete its 70-mile system.