In the national transit database (NTD), there are 5 categories involving
steel wheels on rail

Cable Car (SF)
Monorail
Light Rail (VTA, streetcars in SF on rail)
Commuter Rail (ACE, Caltrain, SMART, MetroNorth, LIRR etc.)
Heavy Rail (BART)

While one can quibble about these categories, SMART's classification is totally
appropriate given its characteristics.

As far as pipe dreams regarding extending SMART across the Bay...the real
issue is why would we ever do that? Costs would be enormous. Benefits limited. There are lots of ways of improving transportation infrastructure long before pissing it away
on this incredibly wasteful transit system that in fact may not survive the coming
challenges associated with remote work.

No one knows yet how much of the commuting workforce will be impacted by remote work options provided by employers. But transit ridership statistics next year will reveal its materiality. It poses huge challenges to the entire land use/transit paradigm, particularly those transit systems serving central cities (e.g., BART, GGT).

If it is material, this is all anyone will be talking about in a year, including those on this forum. Federal funding for subsidizing transit operating expenses -- included in the Rescue Plan -- are not going to last.

Meanwhile out of the 27 transit agencies in the SF Bay Area, the most inefficient
is financially the most well off. Why? Sales tax revenues in Marin and Sonoma
counties are a bit higher than they were a year ago. SMART ridership is down 85%
but since its farebox ratio was so small to begin with, limited ridership doesn't
deplete its financial resources to the same extent as it does with BART and Caltrain.

Caltrain got a 1/8 sales tax passed in November (Measure RR). SMART failed miserably at the polls a year ago (Measure I). If it can't get voters to switch back to supporting
it, the agency actually may face dissolution. Maybe. It's a long way off. It's funded through March 2029.

A key signal will come this summer. If the Board renews Farhad Mansourian's contract,
they are, in fact, indicating that they don't "get it." He was the idiot who promoted the idea of a 30 year tax extension measure 10 years early. He was the one who wouldn't produce ridership statistics when the PD submitted a PRA requesting the information. And he was the one quoted in the press announcing to the voters of San Rafael that SMART had no impact on traffic congestion in downtown San Rafael.