San Rafael Transit Center


The San Rafael Transportation Center is an intermodal transportation center located in downtown San Rafael, California. It is a primary transfer point for several local and regional bus operators, and a commuter rail station on the Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit system.

History

The original San Rafael railway depot that served the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was located at what is now a cafe north of the station. As rail use fell into decline and was discontinued in the mid 20th century, busses came to prominence with the expansion of the road and highway system. The current transportation center was constructed around the station building in 1991.
SMART testing began in March 2016.. Service began with preview rides on July 8, 2017, and full service commenced on August 25, 2017. The station acted as the southern terminal of the line until December 14, 2019, when the extension to Larkspur station opened. The bus terminal was reconfigured to allow the SMART tracks to pass through.
Marin Airporter service to the San Rafael Transit Center ended on October 6, 2019 due to traffic congestion around the transit center.

Services

San Rafael Transit Center has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the SMART mainline. The bus area, located south of the SMART platforms, has two side platforms and two island platforms.
San Rafael is the primary transfer point for Marin Transit, which operates local service plus two interurban routes. It is also served by several regional and intercity bus operators: