Background and formation The last passenger rail service along the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad south of Willits was discontinued in 1958 as automobile travel along U.S. Route 101 in California increased in popularity. The SMART District was formally established by state legislation (
Assembly Bill 2224) in 2002, which mandated the district's creation and established its governance structure across the two counties. Previously disused station buildings were repaired in anticipation of reestablished rail service in Healdsburg and Windsor, and Cloverdale's depot was constructed in 1998.
Environmental impact report Mitigation of environmental impacts was studied and
summarized in a report issued in June 2006. The recommended remedies, which were certified without challenge, included the establishment of quiet zones to restrict routine train horn use at grade crossings, and the replacement of specific wetland ditches. On October 10, 2013, SMART announced that it had obtained more than of an area in
Novato known as the "Mira Monte Marina." The purchase was executed to restore the area and preserve tidal wetlands, specifically mitigating of project impacts determined through the environmental review process and providing a land bank for future construction phases.
Funding The project is funded by federal, state, regional, and local allocations, including bridge tolls, dedicated sales tax revenues, and fares. In November 2006, Measure R, a proposal for funding through an increase in sales taxes, received a combined 65.3% "yes" vote in the two-county District (70.1% in Sonoma County and 57.5% in Marin County). The measure failed because it lacked the two-thirds supermajority required for passage. Measure Q, a similar proposal, was approved on November 4, 2008, receiving a combined vote of 69.5% (73.5% in Sonoma County and 62.6% in Marin County). It provided project funding through a quarter-cent sales tax in both counties set to expire in 2029. By fiscal year 2024, Measure Q generated $48.8 million in sales tax revenue. In March 2020, SMART proposed Measure I to extend the quarter-cent sales tax for thirty years past its 2029 expiration. The measure received 51.2% of combined votes district-wide (49.8% in Sonoma County, 53.5% in Marin County), falling short of the two-thirds supermajority threshold by approximately fifteen percentage points; the campaign cost exceeded $3 million, the most expensive North Bay ballot measure to that date. A citizen-led initiative campaign collected approximately 57,418 validated signatures across both counties to qualify a 30-year sales tax extension for the June 2, 2026, primary election ballot. Under a 2024 change to California law, the measure requires only a simple majority for passage because it qualified through voter initiative rather than board referral. Ahead of the vote, opponents including developer John Gallaher funded a book characterizing SMART as a "taxpayer ripoff" and "failed experiment". The SMART board authorized the sale of bonds in late 2011; proceeds were placed into an escrow account until an effort by a local taxpayer group to repeal the sales tax was legally resolved. In May 2012, SMART issued nearly $200 million in bonds to fund the immediate construction of the IOS, with debt service backed by the Measure Q quarter-cent sales tax revenue.
Initial operating segment track rehabilitation In January 2012, SMART completed negotiations to rebuild the Initial Operating Segment (IOS) between Airport Blvd in
Santa Rosa and the Civic Center Station in
San Rafael under the original budget estimate. The segment was completed jointly by
Stacy and Witbeck and Herzog Contracting Corp. In 2012, SMART added two stations to the IOS design:
north Santa Rosa, near Coddingtown, and
Novato at Atherton Avenue. The
Puerto Suello Hill Tunnel in San Rafael was structurally rehabilitated for passenger service, and the 111-year-old fixed span Haystack Bridge over the Petaluma River was replaced with a movable
bascule bridge. Concrete ties were installed along the line to support track speeds up to , and several legacy freight spur lines were removed to adhere to
federal safety standards. Businesses can reconnect a switch and spur to the line for approximately $300,000. The first phase of construction did not include the continuous parallel pedestrian and bicycle path originally envisioned, prioritizing rail infrastructure over the trail network to stay within budget. in
Texas. Note
US 101 on the taller bridge in the background.
Delayed start of service Scheduled passenger service was originally planned for 2014, but was delayed to late 2016 due to funding shortages tied to the economic downturn. In late 2016, the agency delayed opening the IOS to "late spring 2017." The primary cause was a design flaw discovered in July 2016 when a near-identical Nippon Sharyo train operating on Toronto's
Union Pearson Express experienced an engine fire. The issue was traced to a flaw in the Cummins QSK19-R engine's crankshaft that caused premature wear. SMART preemptively recalled all of its vehicles to its Rail Operations Center to rebuild the engines and replace the crankshafts prior to entering revenue service. Concurrently, the agency experienced problems with warning systems at some grade crossings and had not completed its positive train control approval process with the
Federal Railroad Administration. Preview service and excursion trips timed with the Marin County Fair began on June 29, 2017, offering free fares as far south as Marin Civic Center. Full revenue service commenced on August 25, 2017.
Larkspur segment , January 2025 San Rafael bore costs estimated at $6 million (2012) for the Andersen Drive crossing of the Larkspur to San Rafael segment. The street was extended in the mid-1990s to cross the tracks on a temporary road. In July 1997, the
California Public Utilities Commission required the city to fund the crossing's restoration prior to SMART operations. In 2010, the agency received a federal earmark of $2.5 million for technical, environmental, and engineering design on the segment. Later that year, the rehabilitated California Park Tunnel ( wide, tall, and long) opened to pedestrian traffic. The $28 million renovation was funded equally by Marin County and SMART. The tunnel accommodates both the rail right-of-way and a bicycle/pedestrian path. The FY2016 federal budget included construction funds for the Larkspur Extension. Construction contracts were awarded to a joint venture of
Stacy and Witbeck and
Herzog Contracting Corporation for $36.3 million. Work commenced in late 2017. In April 2018, SMART was awarded a $22.5 million federal grant for the extension. Final costs totaled an estimated $55.4 million. System testing began in August 2019 and concluded by late October. Revenue service commenced on December 14, 2019. The Novato Downtown station, partially built during the IOS construction phase, officially opened alongside the Larkspur extension.
2019 service disruptions Service was cancelled on October 28 and 29, 2019, due to
preemptive utility power shutoffs affecting the grade crossing signal infrastructure. Partial service to Downtown Santa Rosa was restored on October 30, and full service returned the following day with
free rides offered through November 6, serving residents impacted by the
Kincade Fire. During weekends in November 2019, service gaps occurred between Petaluma and Novato–Hamilton to accommodate testing for the Downtown Novato station. A bus bridge operated with transfers at San Marin.
2020–22 operational changes During the
COVID-19 pandemic, SMART reduced its schedule to 8 weekday round trips with no weekend service. In May 2021, service increased to 13 weekday and 6 Saturday round trips. Backed by $3.2 million in
federal stimulus funds, the agency restored pre-pandemic schedules in 2022. In May 2020, SMART acquired control of freight operations from the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad. The state funded the $4 million purchase of rolling stock, track rights, and related properties. The agency took full ownership of freight operations and of trackage north of Healdsburg in July 2021. Sunday service resumed on May 1, 2022.
North of Santa Rosa in July 2025, shortly after the station opened In 2018, the extension to Windsor was expected to cost $55 million, sourced from
Road Repair and Accountability Act funds,
Regional Measure 3 funds, and a federal grant. By November 2019, the estimate rose to $65 million. Work on the Windsor extension was temporarily suspended in 2021 pending the outcome of a regional toll lawsuit. A lawsuit dismissal in January 2023 freed $40 million for the agency, followed by a $34 million state grant. On July 5, 2023, the
California Transportation Commission awarded SMART a $30 million grant to fund the Windsor and Healdsburg extensions. The extension includes trackage running north of Healdsburg station to the city limits. Windsor station opened on May 31, 2025. As part of a 2025–26
Metropolitan Transportation Commission regional coordination effort, local transit providers including
Marin Transit,
Petaluma Transit,
Santa Rosa CityBus, and
Sonoma County Transit restructured bus service to connect with SMART stations rather than parallel the rail corridor. Service changes on April 12, 2026, increased SMART service to 24 weekday round trips and 12 weekend round trips; bus schedules also changed at that time. In September 2023, SMART received a $32 million federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant, including $28 million for positive train control installation on the Windsor–Healdsburg segment and $4 million for Tier IV freight locomotives. In October 2024, the California Transportation Commission awarded SMART an additional $81 million through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and Solutions for Congested Corridors Program for the Windsor–Healdsburg extension, matched by $187.7 million in other funds. Construction on the nine-mile Windsor–Healdsburg extension broke ground in March 2026, with a $21.7 million contract awarded to a Stacy Witbeck–Herzog joint venture; total project cost was estimated at $269 million.
Proposed expansion Additional
infill stations are proposed for Santa Rosa and
Fulton. SMART has studied an extension along its freight tracks between Ignacio and
Schellville into
Napa or
Solano counties, which would connect to the
Vallejo ferry or the
Amtrak station in
Suisun City. Estimated at $1 billion as of 2019, the project requires a new funding mechanism (Napa and Solano are not member counties of the SMART District) and is not projected to begin before 2040. Other proposals include extending service north to
Ukiah or
Willits and an
East Bay expansion over a rebuilt
Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, listed as a finalist in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Plan Bay Area 2050. == System details ==