Politics & Government

Fairfax to San Rafael Trolley: Should it be Studied?

A study analyzing a possible trolley from Fairfax to San Rafael's Bettini Center could get federal OBAG funds.

{Do you think there should be a trolley between Fairfax and San Rafael's Bettini Transit Center? Vote in the poll.}

Transportation authorities are considering using federal funds to study the possibility of a trolley service linking Fairfax to San Rafael’s Bettini Transit Center.

The Transportation Authority of Marin will be receiving approximately $10 million from the federally-funded One Bay Area Grant. Of these funds, around $7 million will go toward planning projects that are currently being compiled for consideration, including a $75,000 feasibility study for the trolley.

The study would analyze the general routes, the need for capital improvements, potential ridership and the cost to operate the trolley. The study will be timed to match the start-up of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit service at the Bettini Transit center.

In December 2011, the TAM Board stated that a trolley could help to relieve congestion and offer an easier way to access SMART.

“The service could be popular due to its uniqueness, its multiple origins and destinations along the route and the burgeoning need to deliver passengers to the future site of SMART as well as the major Golden Gate/Marin Transit bus terminal at Bettini,” the report said.

Find out what's happening in San Anselmo-Fairfaxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other projects that might be considered are , and a $200,000 study on SMART’s quiet zones for San Rafael. See the full list of projects proposed so far in the PDF on the right.

The TAM board won’t formally approve the OBAG-funded projects until September, according to TAM Executive Director Diane Steinhauser.

Find out what's happening in San Anselmo-Fairfaxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Kirk Wrench contributed to this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from San Anselmo-Fairfax