The Dick Spotswood column on SMART is interesting but probably won't get anywhere. Why? Both locomotive hauled and touristy wine trains have been opposed by both Larkspur and San Rafael in the past. Accommodating them has been SMART policy right along. I suspect Spotswood's line of thinking would be more popular in Sonoma County than in Marin.

Once a public authority, like SMART or the CHSRA, adopts a scheme, usually by a ballot measure, it is loathe to change any aspect of it, lest the political "fix" comes undone. In the case of the CHSRA, Prop 1A had all sorts of specific provisions purposefully written into it. SMART promised doodlebugs in its plan, but maybe they could get around it if the bids came in prohibitively high.