Skip to content
Sponsored

Thanks to our advertising sponsor -

San Rafael Meets its New Train

In a previous post, Streetsblog got caught up on the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) project. A week later Marin County transit fans got a treat, with the arrival of the first Diesel Multiple Unit train at the new San Rafael station. The public got to board the train and have a look around.
Rail returns to San Rafael for first time in a half century. Photo: SMART.
Rail returns to San Rafael for the first time in a half century. Photo: SMART.

In a previous post, Streetsblog got caught up on the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) project. A week later Marin County transit fans got a treat, with the arrival of the first Diesel Multiple Unit train at the new San Rafael station. The public got to board the train and have a look around.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome SMART to downtown San Rafael,” said Mayor Gary Phillips in a prepared statement.

San Rafael is part of the first phase of SMART, which will run 43 miles to Santa Rosa. It’s scheduled to begin service by the end of the year. Larkspur will come online after that. Ultimately, the train line, when fully built out, will stretch 70 miles from Cloverdale to Larkspur.

DMU4

According to SMART, the last regular passenger service in downtown San Rafael made its final run in November of 1958. We’re sure residents of Sonoma and Marin county will be happy to finally have a comfortable alternative to the area’s notorious traffic jams.

Interior of the new Diesel Multiple Unit sets. Photo: SMART rail
Interior of the new Diesel Multiple Unit sets. Photo: SMART.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

Commentary: Is a Transporter Bridge the 100-Year-Old Solution for the Estuary Crossing We’ve all been Looking for?

April 15, 2026

Where the Hottest Blocks in Your City Are — And How To Cool Them Down

April 14, 2026

AC Transit, Muni, Caltrain Predict Service Collapse Without More Funding

Zack Deutsch-Gross
April 14, 2026
See all posts