Officials with the SMART train just announced a new grant of some $31 million dollars in federal funding, great news. Part of the money will help pay for extending the rail line north from Windsor to Healdsburg and include replacing the railway that spans the Russian River in Healdsburg. In total, SMART has secured over $220 million in grants. Yet at the same time, a report yesterday by KTVU said that unless voters in Sonoma and Marin county extend a quarter-percent sales tax, the trains will stop running and they will cease operation in 2029, even with ridership up over pre-pandemic numbers.
