SMART Benefits
What is SMART?
Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit
SMART is a 70-mile passenger train service proposal with a companion bicycle / pedestrian pathway paralleling Highway 101 from Cloverdale to Larkspur. The proposal calls for two-way passenger train service every 30 minutes during weekday rush hours, with weekend service, and connections to established bus and ferry service along its north-south rail line. Voters in Marin and Sonoma Counties will vote on SMART this November to authorize project funding, construction and service.
Help PROTECT the Environment:
 | SMART will remove 5,300 car trips per day, reducing gasoline use by over one million gallons per year. |
| SMART will reduce car trips, cutting carbon emission by 31 million pounds per year. |
| SMART trains will run on environmentally friendly, efficient on-board engines and odorless clean fuel. |
| SMART train riders will be three to five times more energy efficient than drivers of single-occupant vehicles. SMART cuts carbon dioxide emissions an estimated 120,000 pounds per day. |
Help RELIEVE Traffic Congestion:
| The Marin-Sonoma Highway 101 corridor is the 4th most congested corridor in the Bay Area. SMART will remove more than 1.4 million car trips from Highway 101 each year. |
| SMART will provide two transportation alternatives — the TRAIN, providing a quiet, convenient transportation option that cuts peak commute times; and the bicycle / pedestrian PATHWAY, with up to 7,000-10,000 users per day. |
| SMART's two-to-three-car trains fit within a city block so traffic still moves when trains make station stops. Crossing gates and city traffic signals will also be synchronized to help keep traffic moving. |
An ECONOMICAL Alternative:
| With gas prices at an all time high and continuing to rise, SMART provides a more economical transportation alternative. |
| SMART already owns the rail right-of-way; using it this way is fiscally responsible and cost-effective. |
| SMART is an investment in our future transportation infrastructure. The economy and environment will suffer if we continue to depend only on roads and driving. |
