Lillian Hamas, SMART Project Director
Susan Killen, Environmental Project Manager

The Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Commission (SMART) Board of Directors' goal is to "provide passenger rail service to Sonoma and Marin residents". They are now acting on the Sonoma Marin Rail Implementation Plan, created from an 18-month process of consultant analysis and public meetings. This plan provides a feasible passenger rail operating system which includes the following major recommendations:

• A 70-mile corridor extending from Cloverdale in Sonoma County through Marin County to a San Francisco bound ferry terminal. (Currently an analysis is underway to determine the feasibility of various locations for a rail extension and terminal)
• Key station sites along the route; up to 14 sites are currently planned along the rail corridor, nine in Sonoma County and five in Marin County
• Service provided at 45-minute intervals at project start-up, to be expanded to 30-minute frequencies at a later date
• Funding the service through a combination of sources including: a transportation sales tax in both counties, state and federal funding and state rail bond moneys

SMART believes we are extremely lucky in Sonoma and Marin counties to have a railroad right-of-way that is owned by the public. They say it is our responsibility to ensure that this resource is used in a way that is reliable, efficient, economically feasible and meets the area's transportation needs.

In addition to these developments, an extensive public awareness and education process has been initiated. With a sales tax possible on the November ballot and the EIR in place, it is time for us at the Sierra Club to hear more about SMART.