Seven self-propelled two-car train sets are being manufactured for SMART
by Sumitomo Corporation of America in Rochelle, Ill. They’ll be powered
by environmentally friendly tier- 4 diesel engines and will carry up to 158
seated passengers, 160 standing passengers and 24 bicycles and are ADA
compliant. Each train set will have a lavatory and a refreshment booth.
Train sets will have a top speed of 79 mph and — including stops of no
more than 40 seconds to load and unload passengers — average 47
mph. The trip from north Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael, a distance
of 43 miles, will take less than an hour. SMART trains will operate under
Positive Train Control, a system that combines both an onboard engineer
and centralized computerization for maximum safety.
In the 73 years since Marin has had reliable
commuter rail service, we’ve seen gridlock increase on
our highways. I hope we’ll have feeder buses
connecting seamlessly with SMART, making public
transportation once again attractive to our residents.
Fred Codoni, railroad historian, Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Clockwise from top left: Constructing track; treading rail and ties; a
rendering showing actual train colors and the adjacent pathway; a
look at the train’s comfortable interior. Opposite page: New track.
THE TRAINS
