SMART ridership up in 2025

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) had more than 1.1 million passenger trips in fiscal year 2025 — an all-time record and 32% more than the year prior, according to the rail agency.

Among the highlights for the SMART system:

• Record train ridership: 1,123,686 passenger trips and 23.4 million passenger miles
• Record ridership on SMART Connect shuttles: 17,097 riders
• Record pathway use: 1,029,421 walking and bicycling trips on the SMART Pathway
• Record bicycles carried: 146,898 bikes onboard SMART trains

“Every trip on SMART helps deliver cleaner air, safer roads, and a more connected North Bay,” said Eddy Cumins, SMART General Manager. “This record year belongs to our riders — students, commuters, families, visitors, and longtime residents — who are showing that public transit can be an easy, enjoyable choice.”

In 2025, SMART expanded and improved service to meet growing demand, including seven-day-a-week service on the SMART Connect Larkspur shuttle. SMART also continued strengthening first- and last-mile options for riders throughout the corridor.

Nearly nine additional miles of multi-use pathway were opened during the year, bringing the SMART Pathway to 39 miles — supporting first- and last-mile connections and linking residents to parks, business districts, schools, and neighborhoods throughout the North Bay.

In 2025, SMART opened new stations in Windsor and Petaluma and began work to extend passenger rail service to Healdsburg, with the Healdsburg station projected to open in 2028. SMART also advanced long-range planning that has the Cloverdale extension included in regional and statewide planning frameworks.

SMART continued programs focused on access and affordability, including free fares for seniors and youth. SMART’s free School Field Trip program carried nearly 3,000 students and educators on 69 field trips, helping schools provide enriching learning experiences beyond the classroom.

This year, passenger rail service levels are expected to increase by 19% as a result of the MASCOTS, the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service Plan, which aims to grow ridership and improve effectiveness of public transit services offered in the Highway 101 corridor. The service increases are expected to be implemented in mid-April 2026. Based on current trends, SMART is currently projecting 1.4 million train riders and 1.2 million pathway users in fiscal year 2026.