SMART shops for trains

The Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District is picking out rail cars. That may seem a bit premature, but it’s some necessary pre-planning considering that the lead times for rail car construction can be over three years.
“Basically SMART is doing a full-court press on a number of fronts,” said Matt Stevens, a public outreach consultant for the district. “We’re on track for a 2014 delivery of service. The two major tasks are selecting the vehicles and rehabilitating the track.”
Construction should start by 2011. A program management team is figuring out how the project work will be undertaken, including rehabilitation of the rail right-of-way and the replacement of several bridges. Much of the track is in poor repair. Meanwhile, the operations committee started meeting with train manufacturers last week.
The SMART regional transportation district was established in January 2003 to oversee the development and implementation of passenger rail service from Cloverdale to a ferry terminal at Larkspur. It was created with the passage of California State Assembly Bill 2224. It holds in public ownership over seventy miles of railroad right-of-way, estimated to be worth more than $1 billion.
The district is governed by a 12-member board consisting of elected officials: two county supervisors each from Marin and Sonoma counties, three appointed city council members from each county and two representatives from the Golden Gate Bridge District.