And your diesel powered buses. GGT is still using diesel in it's clean air buses. Very few are hydrogen. The train is more efficient in it's use of diesel, period.

"Joy Dahlgren, a representative of the group North Bay Citizens for Effective Transportation, which opposes the ballot measure, questioned the true benefits of the proposed SMART train, given the projected ridership of 5,300 boardings a day.

"It's not the right kind of area for a train; there isn't a concentration of jobs and housing along the route," she said. Instead, she favors widening Highway 101 and expanding existing bus service."

How's that for a solution, expand the highway. I bet that is energy efficient, with all that embodied energy in concrete. You know the ones who will do the planning? Caltrans, you know the ones who created a 10 mile backup by some reports. Oh yeah, the buses were very expressy during that one? You know that saying about putting all your eggs in one basket? That's 101 for you. The figures they keep throwing around, they're old, back when gas was much cheaper.

What about the environment of all that rubber wearing off the tires, in to the watersheds?

"
Talk to Golden Gate Transit about adding more commute buses and they will clue you in right away about what's happened over the years to the Sonoma-SF commute. I did that commute for over 30 years and I assure there used to be twice as many commuters as there are now. "

Here you are saying the commutes to SF are dropping, and the next your complaining that the ferry is expensive? I just can't figure you out.

I took a look at the GGT website, do you know they have budgeted $159,245,059.00
to replace fixed route buses in 2008 to 2018. Buses only have a service life of 12-16 years by their website. Trains have a much longer service life. More environmental savings.

People are complaining that SMART is too expensive, yet every other option of trains is much more expensive. Buses still use 101, and thus no alternative to 101.

You can't have it all, without a stepping stone, or a large increase in cost, and time. It takes time to do all the studies, get land for all your grade separation, lawsuits, etc. The more time it takes, the more expensive it will be, just by inflation alone. You will never find utopia.

Maybe electrification is a dumb idea for that area. With it your stuck with it, including costs to maintain it, replace the wire from wear etc. This way you can evolve as needed. Run on biodiesel if needed. Oil from garbage? Super capacitor/flywheel storage? Hydrogen if that ever pans out?

You have to star somewhere, otherwise be happy with the backups, "Highway 101 morning traffic sluggish: commuters happy". Yea!!!