Passenger Trains > Very 'SMART'

While visiting children and grandchildren in the SF Bay area, I got my chance to ride SMART.   My day began at 7 a.m. in Burlingame, where I caught a Samtrans bus to Millbrae BART station.  I had my Clipper Card all ready.  At Millbrae I entered BART and rode to Embarcadero.  Then walked across to the Ferry Building and boarded a Larkspur Ferry, again using Clipper Card.  By 9 a.m. I was in Larkspur.  I walked out a block to the main street and caught a Marin bus about 1.5 miles to the San Rafael transit center.   Walking across the street to the San Rafael SMART station, a train was about to depart (9:58).  I hustled on board, and then found out that my card was deficient for fare.  But the polite conductor said: don't worry; we will get off at the 2nd stop and you can add value to your Clipper Card.  

Adding value was easy and I now had $30.00 on my Clipper Card.  The 43 mile trip up to Sonoma Airport station was fast - 57 minutes.  Train lightly patronized.  I then asked the same conductor: where could I grab some lunch.  He said: walk to the right and down the highway about a block and you will see a shopping center.  In there is the Mocha Cafe and Grill.     It proved to be a nice neighborood place for lunch.  Returning to the station I boarded a 12:50 train back to San Rafael.  There I transferred to an El Cerrito bus and went across the top part of the Bay to El Cerrito BART station.  Then south on BART to the Coliseum and the shuttle to the Oakland Airport.    The Clipper Card was used on all legs of the journey.  Thank you to others on TO, who informed me of its ease and usefulness.  

SMART equipment was pleasant to ride; I could hear the throaty hum of the diesel engines as we accelerated.  I was not aware of a cafe until our southbound trip, in which announcement was made.  I got on their Wi-Fi and charged my phone.  

1) San Rafael station    2 & 3) car interiors

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4) SMART shop at Sonoma Airport station

5) Cafe area

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People actually riding this thing?

Well, looks like at least 4 plus the cop.

TJY

 

Enough people riding it that they ordered more cars.

Guarantee it’s not the passenger fares funding this operation. They ordered more cars to cover gaps in there schedules. Not that the existing trains are over crowded. Perhaps once it’s extended to Larkspur more people that currently drive cars will ride it. 

Valleyman

People are going to start to judge ridership based on one sample of taking a reverse commute trip immediately after the morning rush period? With that kind of timing I could find a lightly patronized train on practically any transit route.

Is the gantlet track in Pic 4 to accommodate freight traffic?
TIA!
...Lorenzo

Yes, gauntlet track is for freight traffic.

inCHI Wrote:
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> People are going to start to judge ridership based
> on one sample of taking a reverse commute trip
> immediately after the morning rush period? With
> that kind of timing I could find a lightly
> patronized train on practically any transit route.

In another thread, a SMART critic (linked article) was comparing SMART ridership to Caltrain's. I can easily find seats on Caltrain off peak hour trains, but he wasn't going to whine about "empty seats on Caltrain" as that wouldn't fit his agenda. While I can tolerate the Information Society's preemptive "I told you so" trolling attitude, I applaud in mockery for all the "clever" one-liners with no substance. :-)

SMART is still a startup system. I compared it to Oceanside's Sprinter service in another thread, and at this point, SMART isn't there yet to achieve ridership stability of Sprinter DMUs. For comparsion, San Marcos State U is walking distance from the nearest Sprinter station, while Sonoma State U requires a 1.3 mile walk or a 10 minute bus ride from the nearest SMART station. Hopefully, this handicap is being addressed (shuttle service?)

I noticed far more strip malls along the Sprinter than the SMART, and yes, I've ridden the entire lengths of both systems. My point? SMART will have to evolve, and its purpose needs to be more than about alleviating Hwy 101 congestion. The car-obsessed, train-stupid civic planners might not get this.

SMART will need some assistance from the local transit agencies to improve ridership and improve its convenience. The Sprinter already got Oceanside Transit Ceter to grab riders who aren't driving, and Escondido's Transit Center is no slouch in serving the North County area, a busy bus terminal when I visited there. SMART is still waiting for the Larkspur ferry terminal extension, so let's see how that will work out.
 

Hey if Marin County wants to pay for empty trains, who cares right?    Here in SoCaL we have the Perris line, so I for one am not going to throw stones......

The first pic probably is not a gauntlet track for freight. Probably for SMART trains with passenger platform.

usmc1401 Wrote:
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> The first pic probably is not a gauntlet track for
> freight. Probably for SMART trains with passenger
> platform.

The gauntlet track is in picture 4.

icancmp193 Wrote:
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> Well, looks like at least 4 plus the cop.
>
> TJY
>


The guy in uniform is actually a Engineer/Conductor.

Gary 

They have cafe service?  Cool!

mp51w Wrote:
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> They have cafe service?  Cool!

When I rode SMART last year, I bought a Lagunitas Pilsner to enjoy onboard. I didn't drink their famous IPA (also available) since I already knew what it tasted like.

cchan006 Wrote:
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The
> car-obsessed, train-stupid civic planners might
> not get this.
>

Can you provide a link backing up your inference that "civic planners" in the areas served by the SMART train are "car-obsessed, train stupid?"  

RuleG Wrote:
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> Can you provide a link backing up your inference
> that "civic planners" in the areas served by the
> SMART train are "car-obsessed, train stupid?" 

Nope! I used the word "might" for a reason.

However, there have been many instances where people have argued for rail transit (including here on TO) for the sole purpose of relieving traffic congestion caused by the automobile, and I'm confident you are aware that public transit (including rail) should be doing more than just help the poor automobile.

Seeing so many train stations with just Park and Ride lots adds to that frustration, and at this stage, SMART is no exception to that rule, except for a handful of their stations, like Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and San Rafael. Novato is an example of a "miss" where the TWO stations don't serve the downtown very well.

OK, your nitpick aside, I await your ANALYSIS.

PHall Wrote:
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> usmc1401 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The first pic probably is not a gauntlet track
> for
> > freight. Probably for SMART trains with
> passenger
> > platform.
>
> The gauntlet track is in picture 4.

And the gauntlet track is for freight. . .

portlander Wrote:
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> And the gauntlet track is for freight. . .

Portland's WES (West Side Express) also has gauntlet tracks, which I know you are aware.

Since we're doing DMU trivia, Sprinter system has platforms where the edge panels raise at night to give clearance for the Pacific Sun Railroad freights. I don't recall any gauntlet tracks on the Sprinter.