North Bay's SMART train system gets $81M to extend train line to Healdsburg
Like a lot of transit agencies, the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter train line in Marin and Sonoma Counties has been struggling to regain ridership and revenue lost to the pandemic. But now, there's welcome news from the state that will keep the rail line on track to extend service to the town of Healdsburg.
It's been a long time since any train arrived at the Healdsburg Depot. Its buildings are boarded up and the sign is cracked and faded. But there was a time, before the car became king, when traveling by rail was the way nearly everyone got to the northern Sonoma towns.
"The train was one of the main ways that people came up to visit Healdsburg way back in the day," said Mayor David Hagele. "They'd come visit the Russian River, there were trains that would go out all over the place. And it's great to have some of that piece of history and the connection to the past coming back."
Hagele is excited by the announcement last week that the California State Transportation Authority approved $81 million to extend the SMART train line to Healdsburg. The news comes as the system is set to begin service from Santa Rosa to Windsor sometime in 2025.
"But the bigger part is the connectivity," said Hagele. "It connects us even closer to Windsor and soon to Cloverdale and that's a big part with trains, how they've been able to connect small communities together."
Federal funding is already in place to rebuild the rail bridge over the Russian River and into town. The $81 million from the state will go to replacing all the tracks, adding a required automated control system and constructing a bike and pedestrian path along the corridor. If there are no delays, SMART expects the extension to Healdsburg to be completed sometime in 2028. SMART Board Vice Chair Melanie Bagby said it shows the state's commitment to complete the system.
"Everyone said, 'You'll never get to Larkspur.' SMART got to Larkspur. 'Oh, you'll never get to Windsor.' SMART will be opening in Windsor next year. And now we have the funding to go to Healdsburg," said Bagby. "So, I think it's pretty evident that we're on a trajectory to complete the vision of the voters for SMART."
But that vision has changed over the years. SMART was sold to voters as an eco-friendly way to get North Bay commuters to San Francisco. But ridership never really took off, especially after work habits changed during the pandemic.
"You know, I think that we had an idea originally in 2008 that it was going to be a lot of folks just going to their jobs and what we're finding is the whole community is taking advantage of it," said Bagby. "It's not just commuters. It's also retired people going out to lunch, meeting their friends and it's overwhelmingly school-age kids going to and from school."
Of course, that may be happening because in April SMART began letting seniors and kids ride for free. The truth is, the farther you get from San Francisco, the more the mission of SMART changes and probably should. On Saturday, Jeff Saunders and Cheryl Valez drove up from Santa Rosa for a picnic overlooking the bridge.
"If it was almost recreational, as opposed to work-related, then perhaps that might be a better, stronger mission for them," said Saunders. "If the train came in here and unloaded, you've got a two-block walk, three-block walk to everything. So, you could see it actually working here."
The new, proposed Healdsburg station is only a couple of blocks from downtown shops, restaurants and wine-tasting rooms.
"I think coming up to Healdsburg would be nice if they're going to keep going with it. I mean, this is THE destination spot. We come here all the time," said Valez. "Quite frankly, I didn't think it was worth the money it cost and I wouldn't have voted for it. But since it's already here now, I think bringing it up to Healdsburg would be...more people would ride it."
So, as the world has changed, so must SMART. A train that was meant to get people to work is rapidly becoming a way to get them "away from it all."