Funding for SMART Larkspur extension in congressional budget

[www.marinij.com]

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit showed off one of its train cars to attendees at a public forum on transportation in May in San Rafael. (Robert Tong/Marin Independent Journal)

By Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal
POSTED: 12/16/15,

Funding to send Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter train service to Larkspur is in the congressional budget and could be formally approved later this week, rail officials announced Wednesday.

The Larkspur extension would represent the next phase of the project. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has already committed $20 million in Regional Measure 2 funds, making the project financially whole when SMART can get the federal dollars.

“This is great news,” said Farhad Mansourian, SMART’s general manager. “It is still a process, but this is important.”

SMART officials believed they were well-positioned to get the federal money, in large part because they had a commitment for half the money to build the extension from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission — the Bay Area’s transportation planning agency. The federal government likes to see a 20 percent local match in funding and SMART had 50 percent.

“The commission has been there for the entire project back when it was really struggling,” said Randy Rentschler, who heads legislative affairs for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. “We have been working hard to present it as a regional project.”

The extension connects rail service to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, where boats can take commuters into San Francisco, making it a regional project. For years the train was criticized as a “train to nowhere” because it didn’t have a connection to a regional system.

In February SMART officials announced the agency was in line to receive federal funding to extend the commuter rail service to Larkspur as part of the Federal Transit Administration’s “Small Starts” grant program.

But over the summer the Senate Appropriations Committee slashed the Small Starts program to $30 million, raising concerns SMART might miss out on the needed funding.

But the final Omnibus Appropriations bill released Tuesday shows funding for the $353 million Small Starts request, which means Congress has provided full funding for the Larkspur connection, according to the rail agency.

The next steps include Congress approving the funding, which could occur by Friday. A signature from President Barack Obama would follow, then finally a funding agreement between the Federal Transit Administration and SMART. Work on the Larkspur extension could start as soon as August 2016.

Marin rail stops will now include Larkspur, downtown San Rafael, the Marin Civic Center and stations in Novato at Hamilton and Atherton Avenue/San Marin Drive.

Work has already been done on a key stretch to get service to Larkspur from San Rafael. In December 2010 the revamped Cal Park Hill Tunnel, a 1,100-foot tube, was opened at a cost of $28 million.

When voters in Sonoma and Marin counties approved a quarter-cent sales tax in 2008 to fund SMART, the project was for train service from Cloverdale to Larkspur, along with a path for walkers and bicyclists.

But the downturn in the economy left the plan without full funding and the ability to borrow the needed money to complete all the work as promised. Now the project is being phased, and a $428 million San Rafael-to-Santa Rosa line is under construction and set to open in late 2016.

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entress Dugan
At what cost?
A person can pay $21.00 for a round trip ticket from Santa Rosa to SF on the bus without getting off the bus to transfer. What will the train cost that takes you only to to the ferry that then costs $11.25 EACH WAY. This already costs more and takes more time to transfer. The ferry is already subsidised by bridge tolls. Doesn't sound very economical or time efficient.
Then there is the cost of moving the San Rafael Transit Center, which will have to be relocated. What great planning transportation experts!

John Parulis
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towrope
Speaking as one of many Sonoma county Larkspur ferry commuters that clog 101 through Marin county this is great news. Once that segment is in and we have somewhere to park at our northend stations I think the difference on 101 will be noticeable. To get us on the train, having nowhere to park up north is a deal killer, as would have been the (waits for the) shuttle between SR and the ferry. Once those two obstacles are gone we'll gladly take SMART instead of an hour each way on 101.

Marin Voter towrope
And you think there will be enough parking and it will be free?

towrope Marin Voter
Naysayers are SO predictable. :-) The ferry charges for parking and there's not enough now as it is. But if you really don't want us on the train that fine - we''ll just continue to dump hundreds of tons of pollutants every year on Marin county in our single occupant cars.

Actually... Marin Voter
If it was free, you'd just complain about how hard it was to park. Pricing is what the world uses to ration goods, including parking. Free parking is nothing more than an inducement and subsidy. If the service proves popular, parking *should not* be free.

Marin Voter Actually
Yup, ten dollars a day seems fair. Otherwise it's just another Smart Train subsidy.

Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty
Toot Toot

Novato Joe
The Hobos will be happy that the Transient Express can bring them from the Tenderloin to St. Vincent De Paul for lunch. Then shopping at Ritter Center and back home in time for a few 40s.

Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty Novato Joe
Sounds like you are in training for the hobo Olympics.

Stephen Nestel
Can t wait for that SMART train whistle to blow every 15 minutes from 5:15 AM

Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty Stephen Nestel
Toot Toot

Stephen Nestel • a day ago
Even the MTC knows that SMART is scamming ridership numbers.

Richard Hall
IJ please stop propagating this myth which you reprint in every SMART article:

"But the downturn in the economy left the plan without full funding and the ability to borrow the needed money to complete all the work as promised. "

The recession caused constructIon contract costs to drop canceling out the temporarily reduced tax revenues. So the impact was a wash.

The truth is 1/4c was never enough to deliver what they promised. Please stop propagating this false justification.

Kevin Moore Richard Hall
Since that paragraph is slipped into every story, it would be nice if the IJ verified it was valid. The train was delayed by 2 years, which means 2 extra years of collecting sales taxes. This excuse has lasted longer than the recession.

issanitydead Richard Hall
you are being way too PC Richard calling it a myth. It is a flat our LIE and they know it. Passed on lies, continued withe more and more lies. Costly costly LIES!

caligali
That is the UGLIEST train ever. Who picked it? Clearly, they have no aesthetic sense. Marin deserves better than that

Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty caligali
You sound like you have an eye for style. Do you do any personal shopping?

caligali Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty
wow. we actually agree on something - my eye for style and this train's lack of style. And, yes, all my shopping is personal.

Stephen Nestel caligali
That is so they can legitimately call the train " smart and green". There is no way they can call it " good sense" or "eco friendly".

Avatar
Tyler D
And the pedestrian pathway?

RegulatorJohnson Tyler D
The local kids and the coyotes use the track.

RegulatorJohnson
Hey, not to worry. I went by the new Civic Center SMART station under construction yesterday and asked one of the guys if he was having fun pouring concrete. He was, as were all of the crew. Merry Christmas! I now live within walking distance of a train station. Of course, 101 was gridlocked and will probably get worse. Reminds me of New York City back in the day. Not that that's a bad thing.

alussier
Great news. Amazing that someone living in Marin (or anywhere in the Bay Area) would find a reason or basis to nitpick at it. Someone can now ride from Santa Rosa to Downtown SF without every having to deal with the erratic nature of car traffic and general highway congestion. If we're down to complaining about traffic gates that stop traffic for a few dozen seconds to let a one-car train pass, we're really missing the point -- would you rather the passengers on that one-car train be in cars themselves?

AF alussier
Don't celebrate yet it's far from a done deal, in fact I would wager they don't get the funds. I wouldn't call a daily train ride, followed by a boat ride, followed by a Muni ride a great win.

Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty AF
Yeah, sitting in a car driving for 3 hours is much more fun...

Lance La Rue
Get prepared for total gridlock on each of the east / west thoroughfares of San Rafael and all of the San Rafael 101 on and off ramps. The Larkspur extension is going to create a nightmare in Marin's Mission City.

Cáit ní Cheallaigh Lance La Rue
It's already a nightmare. But now we'll have an option to avoid that nightmare.

Nathan Ballard Lance La Rue
How so?

Lance La Rue Nathan Ballard
Every 15 minutes, 2nd St., 3rd St., 4th St. 5th Ave, Mission St, West Francisco and Anderson Drive will have the gates come down and the streets close to allow the engineer, the conductor, Train Security Czar and the former bus passengers pass through our town.

Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty Lance La Rue
How often do the RED STOP lights go on? LOL, you're being silly.

Nathan Ballard Lance La Rue • a day ago
Perhaps. However, not being a professional traffic engineer I will wait to see how it's effected before passing judgement. Have you read the traffic studies? I have not.

They've already started to address the signaling at Mission, Fifth, and Fourth to account for the train delays headed into Downtown SR from the north. Time will tell I suppose. Cheers.