The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport reopened last weekend, ahead of schedule, after preparations for service to Windsor were completed earlier than planned.
The station was closed on weekends in April and scheduled to be closed again on April 26 and 27, but was able to be opened one week early on Sunday.
The station was closed on those days while test trains ran the line to Windsor, testing train control and safety systems including warning devices and speed enforcement, according to a news release from SMART.
The Windsor station on Emily Rose Circle is scheduled to open in late spring after passenger service simulations are run throughout May.
Simulated service will involve running 44 trips a day without passengers to familiarize conductors with the area and further test train control systems under a full service schedule. Trains will run from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends.
The unincorporated town is applying to the Federal Railroad Administration to establish the town as a designated quiet zone, which will prevent trains from blowing their horns when traveling to through the area. Until the application is approved, trains will continue to blow their horns when approaching grade crossings on Shiloh Road, Mitchell Lane, the Windsor roundabout, and the Windsor station access crossing.
SMART is also planning an extension to Healdsburg, with construction on that station scheduled to start in fall and be completed in 2028.
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