SMART marks opening of another Petaluma station

With hundreds of supporters in attendance, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit held a ceremonial opening of its second Petaluma station on Friday, fulfilling a longtime goal after more than a year of construction.

SMART first envisioned a second Petaluma station about two decades ago as part of its plan for a 70-mile rail corridor connecting Larkspur to Cloverdale. The new station, the 12th stop along the rail line connecting the two counties, is at Corona Road and McDowell Boulevard, about 3 miles northwest of the downtown station.

In addition to the station platform, the project includes reconstruction of the McDowell Boulevard crossing and two path segments equaling about 5.6 miles along the rail line. The paths are due to open this spring.

After the completion of the Petaluma North Station, three planned extensions remain, with the 3-mile extension from Santa Rosa to Windsor expected to be completed this year. Other planned stations include one in Healdsburg and Cloverdale.