New try for rail funding

A controversial proposal to start building the Sonoma-Marin commute rail system in Marin County first while looking for federal funds to bridge a $155 million financial gap was discarded by rail authorities Wednesday.

Instead, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials said they'll work closely with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which is trying to find regional funds to pay for opening the entire line in 2014.

"There was a commitment to work together in the short term," said Debora Fudge, SMART's chairwoman and a Windsor councilwoman. "They didn't just pat us on the head."

SMART is facing a $155 million shortfall in the money it had anticipated from the quarter-cent sales tax that voters approved in 2008.

A month ago, the board approved a strategy that included starting construction in Larkspur and going north as far as money would allow, while asking MTC to endorse SMART's application for federal

rail funding earmarked for new projects.

The northern terminus under that scenario likely would have been Petaluma, possibly Rohnert Park and maybe as far as Santa Rosa.

Although the SMART board approved the strategy, members later decried the possibility of delaying service until 2016 to Santa Rosa, the largest city on the route with the most ridership potential.

The plan died abruptly when MTC, which is the clearinghouse for federal transportation dollars flowing into the Bay Area, rejected the SMART bid. It already was committed to seeking the federal funds for a BART extension to San Jose and a downtown San Francisco subway.

"They do not currently have a process for getting us on that list," said Lillian Hames, SMART general manager. "Once those projects get their funds, they might address the process in 2015 or 2016."

Hames said MTC did commit to working closely with the agency to find alternative funds, such as federal funds that could be used for SMART's pedestrian-bicycle path or funds for projects that might not be ready to go.

Rail advocate David Schonbrunn cautioned, however, that he didn't believe MTC was ever a believer in North Bay rail.

"These people are not your friends," he said. "I'm throwing serious cold water on any optimism that you have."

SMART is now conducting an analysis to determine how much the construction pricetag will be, segment by segment, including the costs of buying rail cars and building stations.

The district hopes to have it done by September.

SMART Director Judy Arnold, a Marin County supervisor, said because of all the negative opinions and concern the previous plan generated, the rail district needs to be on the conservative side in its estimates.

"We need to take a worse-case scenario, this is the shortfall and this is how we will address it, so we take the hit just once," Arnold said.

Until then, the district will continue doing all the engineering work so that in two years it could start construction with whatever money it has, Fudge said after the meeting.

"We are being nimble, we are looking for different sources of funding, we will be eyeing different sections of line," Fudge said. "There is no definitive plan. Our goal is still to build the entire line in 2014."

[END_CREDIT_0]You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at