Author JEFF QUACKENBUSH
SMART is uploading reports at the end of each month on various metrics from the previous month.
Train ridership between Sonoma and Marin counties appears to have received a sizable January boost, which the transit agency attributed to a number of service upgrades in the past two months such as a new San Francisco ferry link and shorter times between trains.
And the initial figures may point to SMART as not just a north-south commute option.
SMART trains last month had 26% more riders than a year before, according to spokeswoman Julia Gonzalez. The report of preliminary numbers was presented at the Wednesday board meeting for Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. Final January numbers will be released at the end of this month, after reconciling figures for physical counts and usage of Clipper cards and app ticket sales.