Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Employees Get a Raise—Months Before Operations Begin

The North San Francisco Bay Area has lacked passenger rail for decades—but the process of hiring the staff necessary to operate the line on a daily basis has been complicated by the cost of housing in the area.

1 minute read

July 28, 2016, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

"The high cost of housing in Marin and the Bay Area is making it hard for the fledgling SMART commuter rail service to find people to pilot its trains," reports Mark Prado. The

"Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency is set to launch service on a 43-mile line stretching from downtown San Rafael to the Santa Rosa Airport later this year," explains Prado, and to recruit engineers, signal technicians, and vehicle maintenance technicians, the agency board recently approved an 11 percent pay increase.

In the region, SMART has to compete with BART, Caltrain, Amtrak, and Altamont Commuter Express—none of which is made easier by the high costs for housing in the region.

FULL STORY: North Bay housing costs have SMART scrambling for engineers

Saturday, July 23, 2016 in Marin Independent Journal

Transportation California Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit SMART Transit Agencies Train Engineers Transit Employees Housing Costs View More

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