SMART gets ready to celebrate its first year of service with festival and free train service

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (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 truck vendors, and more than 30 exhibitors. Local beer and wine will also be sold, with proceeds going to nonprofit Becoming Independent.

As part of the celebration, SMART is also offering free train service on August 18 and increasing service with extra trips to get people to and from the festival. Free rides will continue through Sunday, August 19.

“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.

“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.