Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit, or SMART, is a commuter rail service in California's Sonoma and Marin counties. the line serves 12 stations: ten opened in the initial operating segment (IOS) and two were added when the line was extended to Larkspur. Four more stations are planned to open after further construction.[1]
The main line was built primarily by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad and received regular service until 1958 when passenger trains were discontinued south of Willits. After the decline in railway traffic in the post-WWII years, the line was eventually closed to all rail activity. The right-of-way was acquired by a special-purpose district and reopened to freight movements in 2011 and passenger service on August 25, 2017.[2]
Station platforms are in length (the sole exception is San Rafael's 285feet northbound platform) and are high-level to provide accessible boarding. Gauntlet tracks are installed at stations north of Ignacio to allow freight trains to pass with proper clearance. Novato Downtown, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa stations are located adjacent to former NWP station buildings (as will be Healdsburg and Windsor), but the buildings are used for other purposes.
| County | Municipality | Station | Connections | Service began | Parking spaces | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark West | ||||||
| Santa Rosa | ||||||
| Rohnert Park | Sonoma County Transit[3] | n/a | ||||
| Cotati | n/a | |||||
| Petaluma | ||||||
| Novato | ||||||
| 0 | ||||||
| San Rafael | ||||||
| Larkspur | Marin Transit | n/a | ||||
| Station | Projected opening | Municipality | County | Status / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027[6] | Eventual northern terminus of system | |||
| 2027 | ||||
| 2025 | ||||
| 2025 | Planned infill station |
Suggestions have been put forward to eventually expand to Napa or Solano counties with connections at Suisun–Fairfield station, or north along the Northwestern Pacific right of way to Ukiah or Willits[7] [8] in Mendocino.