The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District Board of Directors on Wednesday moved forward with plans for a new station in the unincorporated Sonoma County community of Geyserville.
The agency is evaluating land in an area near state Highway 128 and Remmel Road — where SMART owns an existing railroad corridor — for the location of the proposed station.
With the SMART board’s approval, the Geyserville Station Project is permitted to advance through stages of regional planning, project development and funding, though future authorization will be required before construction.
The proposed Geyserville station would become part of SMART’s plans to restore passenger rail service through the area for the first time since 1958, agency officials said.
In 2008, voters from Marin and Sonoma counties approved Measure Q, a quarter-cent sales tax for 20 years to finance a passenger train service between Cloverdale on the north end and Larkspur on the south. So far, SMART has only been able to extend its passenger rail service to Windsor — where the agency’s current northernmost station opened in May 2025.
In September 2025, SMART’s board approved a contract for early design and construction to begin on a new station in Healdsburg.
In June, Marin and Sonoma counties approved Measure B, which will extend the existing quarter-cent sales tax through 2059, though the agency still says other funding will be needed to complete the northern extension to Cloverdale.
‘An investment in the economic future’
With the Geyserville Station Project, SMART plans to segment the 18-mile Healdsburg-to-Cloverdale line into two roughly 9-mile projects, with hopes that two smaller capital projects will be more competitive for funding opportunities than one big one, according to the agency.
The proposed station is also projected to potentially bolster Geyserville’s local economy, improving regional access to Geyserville’s restaurants, wineries and businesses, while improving Geyserville student access to Santa Rosa Junior College, located just a couple miles from SMART’s Santa Rosa North station.
“Bringing passenger rail service to central Geyserville at the heart of the Alexander Valley is an investment in the economic future of Sonoma County,” said SMART board member and Healdsburg City Councilmember Ariel Kelley in a statement. “This connection can expand access to jobs, education and health care for people throughout the region.”
The project’s approval comes after years of Geyserville community activation surrounding the project.
Prior to 2024, Geyserville couldn’t have a SMART station due to the agency’s enabling legislation, which restricted developments north of Healdsburg to incorporated communities.
However, according to SMART officials, community interest pushed the state Legislature to approve Senate Bill 904, which amended SMART’s enabling legislation to allow the agency to build a station in unincorporated Sonoma County between Healdsburg and Cloverdale.
In 2025, SMART made plans to explore a potential Geyserville station in its Five-Year Strategic Plan, before receiving additional community support for the station in a recent public outreach process, according to SMART officials.
“This project began with the community,” Chris Coursey, SMART board chair and a Sonoma County supervisor, said in a statement. “Today’s action shows that meaningful public participation can shape transportation investments and help us build a system that better serves the communities along the rail corridor.”
