SMART System Closures Slated North Of Petaluma

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — SMART announced a partial system closure Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24, related to the new northern Petaluma SMART station.

During the weekend closure, no trains will run between SMART's Sonoma County Airport station and the Cotati station. All southbound trips will start at the Petaluma Downtown station and all northbound trips will end at the Petaluma Downtown station. There will be no service at the Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa Downtown, Santa Rosa North and Sonoma County Airport stations.

Another partial system closure north of Petaluma is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14; however, the dates for the weekend closures could change depending on the weather.

During the March 23-24 closure, SMART will add a secondary track to the new Petaluma North station, SMART Spokesperson Julia Gonzalez told Patch. The additional track is called a gauntlet and accommodates freight trains that use the tracks.

"Passenger trains are much narrower than freight trains," Gonzalez said. "To not have freight trains collide with the passenger platform, there is a secondary track and as it approaches the platform, a freight train will move several feet over. That is a gauntlet track."

During the April 13-14 closure, SMART will work on another project related to the new Petaluma station, Gonzalez told Patch.

"We are going to completely reconstruct the area where the rail line crosses McDowell Boulevard," Gonzalez said. "McDowell Boulevard will be closed that weekend and there will be a detour and we are working with the city of Petaluma on that."

Construction started in November on the Petaluma North SMART station at Corona Road and North McDowell Boulevard and is expected to be completed late this year.

"We are excited," Gonzalez said. "We plan on having a big celebration to open that station and give people a special opportunity to be the first to use the station."

The Windsor station is also under construction and should be completed in early 2025.

"As we get closer to opening both stations, there will be numerous tests that SMART will advise the community about."

Anyone with questions or concerns about the closures or who needs help planning trips around the closures can reach SMART customer service by email at customerservice@sonomamarintrain.org or by phone at 707-794-3330.