SMART
A lifetime after the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and the end of the interurbans, almost a half-century after BART nearly came to Marin County, and after decades of debate, voters in the North Bay's Highway 101 corridor have finally approved the return of passenger service to the Northwestern Pacific railroad.
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will be a next-generation DMU (think diesel light rail, or light commuter rail) line connecting historic downtowns in the rapidly growing cities of Sonoma County and established suburbs of Marin (their combined populations: almost three-quarters of a million, or roughly the size of San Francisco). City-bound commuters will walk from the terminal to a nearby ferry landing. SMART will start slow, with service every 30 minutes during rush hours and a few trains off-peak. But over the long term, it will help focus development and preserve some of the world's most beautiful countryside.
