SMART train could roll a year early
Voter-approved light rail project may get federal stimulus money
By GUY KOVNER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT


Published: Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 4:24 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 4:24 a.m.
The Sonoma-Marin commuter rail project approved by voters Tuesday could start rolling a year ahead of schedule if it gets money from the next economic stimulus package contemplated by Congress, officials said Wednesday.

"We would love to do that," said Lillian Hames, general manager of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency, known as SMART.

The agency promised voters that diesel-powered trains would be running by 2014, but with federal help that could happen in 2013, Hames said.

Meanwhile, the agency will start shopping for at least 14 rail cars, expected to cost about $87 million and take three years to build and deliver.

Debora Fudge, Windsor mayor and SMART board vice-chairwoman, said it is a relief to "get past the paperwork and actually start the real work" of building a rail system along the Highway 101 corridor.

"Instead of speaking theoretically at all our meetings, we can get down to brass tacks," Fudge said.

Two years ago, North Bay voters turned down SMART's quarter-cent sales tax, which needed two-thirds approval. But on Tuesday, the combined two-county vote was 69.5 percent in favor of the tax, or 2.8 percent over the necessary super-majority.

The tax is expected to generate $890 million, or most of the $1.14 billion needed to build and operate the Cloverdale-to-Larkspur rail line for 20 years. State and federal funds will make up much of the balance.

SMART's long-term budget anticipated $25 million in federal funds, but there was no economic stimulus program on the horizon when the budget was drafted in the spring. Now, a share of the proposed stimulus package could speed up the rail system's engineering, construction or both, Hames said.

House Democrats have discussed a $100 billion package, likely to be weighted heavily with new money for public works. Hames said SMART has not determined how much it would seek.

Despite the economic slump, including a significant drop in consumer spending, SMART officials said their budget is sound.

North Bay consumers start paying the sales tax in April 2009, and SMART's budget assumes zero revenue growth for the first three years. Over the remaining 17 years, the anticipated tax revenue grows no more than 4 percent annually, SMART spokesman Chris Coursey said.

Sales tax revenue in Sonoma and Marin counties grew an average of 4.83 percent a year from 1988 to 2007.

"It's a conservative funding plan," Coursey said.

After selecting the rail cars, SMART's next move will be to commission about $40 million worth of engineering, including plans for track improvements, station construction and rehabilitation or replacement of three bridges.

Engineering will take 18 months, Hames said.

Fudge and Hames said they foresaw no obstacles to completing the rail system.

Fudge said several factors boosted voter sentiment in favor of the SMART tax, which fell about 1.4 percent short in 2006 but passed by twice that margin Tuesday.

Gasoline hitting $4.50 a gallon was a "wake-up call," Fudge said, and growing awareness of greenhouse gas emissions as a cause of global warming also increased public interest in transportation alternatives.

SMART added weekend service to its schedule after the 2006 vote, a move that went over well in Marin, especially among elderly residents who want to visit their grown children in Sonoma County, Fudge said.

"That was a big deal to a lot of people," she said.