Celebrate with us at SMART Fest! Train service will be FREE August 18 &19.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018 - 3:00pm

After carrying more than 630,000 passengers since opening its doors, the SMART train is celebrating its first year of service with a free festival in the North Bay and free train service on the weekend of the event.

SMART is inviting the community to a celebration on Saturday, August 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Novato Hamilton Station. The event includes live music, food trucks, North Bay businesses, and local beer and wine vendors. The event will also include free activities for children. As part of the celebration, SMART is also offering free train service on August 18 and 19, and increasing service with extra trips to get people to and from the festival.

“This celebration is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our North Bay community for making our passenger rail service a huge success,” said Debora Fudge, chairwoman of SMART’s Board of Directors. “We’re offering free train service throughout that weekend so that people can take the train to this event and elsewhere. They can relax and enjoy the festival without the hassle of traffic or parking.”

“In just one year of service, SMART has been fortunate to have a strong and loyal following,” said Judy Arnold, vice chairwoman of SMART’s Board of Directors. “This is a wonderful way to share our gratitude with our community—it’s time to celebrate.”

SMART began passenger rail service in the North Bay in August of 2017. The system currently covers 43 miles, from Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael, with stops in Cotati, Rohnert Park, Petaluma and Novato. SMART’s Larkspur extension is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. SMART also plans to extend further north into Windsor, Healdsburg, and Cloverdale.