A planned extension of the A Line light-rail service to Montclair has been halted after the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) board voted 15-11 against a proposed agreement with the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. The decision, made on September 3, effectively ends immediate plans to extend the line beyond Pomona.
Several SBCTA board members cited concerns over the project’s $80.3 million cost and disagreed with giving control over design and operation to the construction authority rather than their own agency. Board member Alan Warner expressed support for bringing rail service to Montclair but questioned the terms of the agreement.
“I stand steadfast in my commitment to making sure that Montclair gets what it deserves,” Warner said during the meeting. “I think the benefit of the Gold Line coming into Montclair would be incredible.”
Board member Wapner opposed funding an extension while relinquishing oversight: “Even if we come to an agreement, I don’t think I can support it,” Warner told his fellow board members before voting with the majority. “People support the Gold Line, but I don’t think they would support it if they knew we were handing a check to the construction authority to build whatever they want to build, and to operate it however they want to operate it, and then we pay for all of it.”
Following its vote, SBCTA directed staff to explore other ways of connecting Montclair using $37 million in local funds already set aside for this purpose.
The extension plan had been under consideration since 2004 when voters approved Measure I, a half-cent sales tax intended for transportation projects in San Bernardino County. In 2012, state legislation authorized construction of the Montclair segment.
Despite these efforts, some observers believe prospects are dim. Manfred Keil, associate professor of economics at Claremont McKenna College, noted that high costs ultimately derailed plans: “It’s gone, and I don’t think the Pomona-to-Claremont extension will happen either,” Keil said. “The issue is the cost of the extension. It’s not that far, but the cost is enormous. The commission couldn’t overcome the cost, so it dropped the whole thing.”
Keil also commented on limited expected benefits from extending rail service into Montclair: “It would help if there we were a lot of houses built along the rail line, like what happened in Pasadena, but that won’t happen in Montclair,” he said. “I think the impact would be minimal. There would be some (houses built) but not many.”
According to Albert Ho from Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, about two-thirds of a planned 3.3-mile track segment between Pomona and Montclair was slated for completion within Montclair city limits. Projections estimated up to 8,850 daily passengers at Claremont and Montclair stations—potentially eliminating thousands of car trips each day.
The A Line’s connection eastward continues elsewhere; construction toward Claremont remains underway with procurement ongoing for design work expected later this year.
“We’re still in the procurement process, and we expect to have a designer in November,” Ho said. “The connection to Claremont is still happening.”
On September 19th, A Line trains are scheduled begin serving Pomona North Station on Garey Avenue—a new link providing four additional stations across Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne/Fairplex and Pomona North—and facilitating transfers with Metrolink services running between Los Angeles Union Station and San Bernardino or Riverside.
If completed as originally envisioned by 2031—with construction starting next year—the now-stalled project could have created hundreds of jobs and generated nearly $46 million in labor income based on economic studies commissioned by project backers.
Habib F. Balian—chief executive officer at Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority—said work toward reaching Montclair may continue despite recent setbacks: “This is not the end of the line for the Gold Line to reach Montclair, but [the transportation authority] vote was a significant setback,” Balian stated.“It results in the Montclair extension not moving forward simultaneously with the Claremont portion of the final project segment.” He added,“In the coming weeks,the construction authority staff and board will discuss our next steps.The journey continues.”
