No tricks, only treats were in the bag for future light-rail riders from eastern Los Angeles and western San Bernardino counties on Halloween, Thursday, Oct. 31 from LA Metro, which awarded $798 million for building a short but historic A (Gold) Line extension from Pomona to Claremont and Montclair. For the first time in LA Metro history, the agency funded the construction of a light-rail train line across county lines that will reach the Inland Empire city of Montclair for service that is expected to draw thousands of commuters between the two counties and reduce car trips on the 210,10 and 60 freeways. “This is great,” began Habib Balian, CEO of the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the agency awarded the grant money for the 3.2-mile project. “This is the biggest moment for a project that can happen. Getting the funding in place that allows us to award a contract.” The LA Metro board voted 12-0 to hand over the money that came from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), via the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). LA Metro approved the grant for building the LA County portion. The roughly one-mile of track from the Los Angeles/San Bernardino county line to the Montclair Transit Center will be paid for by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA). The agency has $80 million set aside for construction, the Gold Line Construction Authority confirmed on Thursday. The city of Montclair, which has joint ownership of the nearly 9-acre Montclair TransCenter, shown here on Sept. 13, 2021, would be adding a light-rail line as part of the extension of the LA Metro A Line into Montclair, which finally received the OK for funding from the state on July 8, 2024. The full award was given to the Gold Line Construction Authority by LA Metro on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (File photo by Steve Scauzillo/SCNG) The two portions bring the estimated cost of the project to $878 million, LA Metro reported. A bid from the contractor, Kiewit Infrastructure Engineers, is expected in January, Balian said. The contract would be awarded between March and May, with groundbreaking in the fall. Completion is expected in 2030, he said. “The leadership of the SBCTA is committed to see the Foothill Gold Line reach Montclair. It is what our board has been waiting for — to make this important project available to San Bernardino County residents,” Ray Marquez, president of the SBCTA, told the LA Metro board. Many of those from the LA Metro board and other elected officials acknowledged the ups and downs of what has been called a last leg of the A Line, often referred to as its original name, the Gold Line. Currently, the line is the longest in the country and runs from Azusa to Long Beach. In September 2019, SBCTA Executive Director Ray Wolfe said told his board he wanted to “throw in the towel” on the Gold Line reaching San Bernardino County. He said the agency should pursue other mass transit alternatives, even though the project had been planned for more than a decade at that time. The state legislature gave the construction authority the power to build it into San Bernardino County in 2011. But it ran out of money in 2019, and the state rejected project gap funding in 2021, 2022 and 2023 despite large surpluses in the state budget. Funding first became an issue in 2018 when tariffs on imported steel enacted by then President Donald Trump raised the price of bids. Also, shortages of foreign workers stemming from tighter immigration policies also contributed to bids coming in hundreds of thousands of dollars higher. As a result, the Claremont-Montclair portion got put off. Instead, the Construction Authority only had money to extend the line from Azusa to Pomona. That extension is expected to be completed in January, with revenue operations to follow a few months later. The price of the Montclair extension rose from $550 million to $798 million, and now is estimated at $878 million. Because it was not certified by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to receive federal dollars, the only hope for closing the funding gap was the state. The state indicated the money would be coming on July 8. Thursday’s awarding of the funds completed the transaction, resulting in a celebration in the Metro board room in downtown L.A. While cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona were united, so were cities in San Bernardino County, led by Montclair, but also including Ontario and Chino Hills. “The cities all came together. What was not clear was whether the state would step up to the plate,” said Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, a long-time supporter of the line from Pasadena to Pomona, and going into San Bernardino County. The project had been talked about as continuing to Ontario International Airport. The extension has gained support of politicians on both sides of the county border, including Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona and Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, D-Chino, who authored legislation that added Montclair as a Gold Line stop. Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, who also sits on Metro’s board, said the idea of SBCTA supporting an extension to Ontario Airport is something he supports. But that is not in the plans. What the Montclair connection will do is bring a light-rail line into the Inland Empire, home to 4.7 million people, Sandoval said. “A lot of young families are moving in that direction. So It’s important we have this line,” he said. Commuters from the Inland Empire who drive the 210, 10 and 60 freeways westerly in the morning to jobs in Los Angeles County, and easterly back home, would have a less expensive and quicker mass transit option. Metrolink heavy-rail passenger trains are more expensive and have longer wait times. The A line has waits that range from between 8 minutes to 15 minutes. The regular fare is $1.75, with reduced fares for seniors, disabled, low-income riders and free fares for K-14 students. The Claremont and Montclair A Line stations would add 8,000 daily boardings or about half of the line’s total adjusted ridership, LA Metro reports estimated. Extending the light-rail line into Montclair would take about 15,000 car trips off the roads each day and reduce 26.7 million vehicle miles travelled annually, eliminating 1.75 metric tons of carbon emissions that add to global climate change. “Everyone knew it would be important to connect the two counties,” Balian said. “It creates options for people. It gives an opportunity for folks from San Bernardino County to come here and help them get out of their cars. This is a viable alternative.” Related links State funds Pomona-to-Montclair light rail, first LA Metro project to San Bernardino County Hopes dashed for light-rail line extension from Pomona to Montclair Contract signed to bring Gold Line to Pomona, but funds and full support don’t extend to Montclair Why 2 major LA Metro rail projects were denied funding by California transit agency Head of San Bernardino transportation agency says it’s time to ‘throw in the towel’ on Gold Line to Montclair