By Steve Birdlebough, Redwood Chapter Transportation Chair
Long-awaited commuter train service for Sonoma and Marin counties is expected to begin by the end of 2016. For two years, travelers along Highway 101 have seen evidence of work on the tracks, and now the self-powered railcars are beginning to arrive. While months of testing and training remain before revenue service begins, transit advocates see an opportunity to improve the image of public transportation.
Drivers facing daily congestion on Hwy. 101 can anticipate choosing a smooth, comfortable train ride to destinations between the Airport Blvd. train station and San Rafael’s transit center. Buses that connect with trains may be taken more seriously by people who are not dependent on transit. When more people begin to leave their cars at home, there will be less tailpipe pollution. Bicycles will be also be welcome on the trains and additional greenhouse gases can be avoided if communities near train stations evolve into places that are affordable and attractive for walkers and cyclists.
Work has begun to coordinate bus and train services to make the SMART train successful in reducing the use of single occupant vehicles. Riders will be able to use the Clipper fare card on buses, trains ferries, and streetcars all the way from a home in Sebastopol to an event in Berkeley or San Francisco. Bus operators are considering schedules that will be most convenient for train riders. Firms along the SMART line are surveying their employees to see whether shuttles will encourage them to use the train.
Eventually train service and a pedestrian/bike path are planned between the ten cities along the most heavily populated 70 miles of the historic Northwestern Pacific Railroad right-of-way between Cloverdale in northern Sonoma County and Larkspur on San Francisco Bay. The Larkspur Ferry and the San Rafael Transit Center offer connections to San Francisco.
A sales tax approved by voters in 2008 funds the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District to modernize 43 miles of the railroad and buy the railcars. The tax also pays for initial segments of the pedestrian/bicycle pathway. This initial phase of operations will serve most of the projected riders between Cloverdale and Larkspur. Additional state and federal funding is currently being sought to modernize the tracks south to Larkspur, north to Cloverdale, and to complete the entire pathway.
Sierra Club members can help by letting members of the Sonoma and Marin county boards of supervisors and city council members in Santa Rosa and Petaluma know about the importance of convenient connections between buses and trains, the needs of cyclists, and support for shuttle services. It is also important for the cities to be served by the rail line to plan now for affordable housing near train stations together with pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists. For more information contact Steve Birdlebough, affirm@friendshouse.org 707-576-6632.