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.