For the past month, the Gold Line Construction Authority has been lobbying state lawmakers for $450 million in funding needed to extend the popular light-rail line from Pomona to Claremont, and then to Montclair, the authority’s CEO said at a special Montclair City Council meeting.
Habib Balian told the City Council on Monday, Nov. 4, about the intensive lobbying effort underway since Oct. 5. He also discussed how the cities of Pomona, Claremont and Montclair and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority can work together to overcome the funding shortfall that threatens plans to link the Los Angeles County light-rail service with San Bernardino County riders via the Montclair Transcenter.
Balian suggested the money could come from gas tax dollars under SB 1, which already has funded part of the $2.1-billion, 12.3-mile extension of the light rail east from Glendora. The first phase of the extension, a 9.1-mile segment from Glendora to north Pomona, is under construction. A second phase, a contract option, includes the unfunded $450-million, 2.6-mile extension from Pomona to Claremont and a short, 0.6-mile segment from the county line to Montclair. The latter could be paid for by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, which has collected about $81 million of the $97.4 million needed for that portion of the project from local Measure I funds and from a state grant.
Another source of funding for the Gold Line extension east of Pomona could be the state’s low-carbon emissions fund paid into by entities releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, Balian said.
A third option would be to seek funds from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), but this would require the project undergo additional environmental screening under the federal National Environmental Policy Act. The project is cleared under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Federalizing the project would add costs and time, Balian said.
“The first priority is to go after state funds,” Montclair Mayor John Dutrey said.
Balian said the state may have some transportation projects that cannot move forward, making space for the Gold Line extension.
“Some projects that are not built, there may be funding available,” Balian told the council during the meeting, which he called “a brainstorming” session keying on ways to complete the Gold Line project, which would stretch 37.5 miles from Los Angeles to Montclair.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, the SBCTA board will consider whether to work with LA Metro and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, the agency that runs the larger Metrolink train service, to develop a passenger service using smaller locomotives that would run between Pomona and Rancho Cucamonga every 30 minutes. This could be done in parallel or in place of the Gold Line.
Dutrey seemed to say that the SBCTA “Metrolink enhancement” train could carry passengers east from Montclair to Rancho Cucamonga, while the Gold Line could travel west into Pomona, Pasadena and Los Angeles. When LA Metro completes its Regional Connector in downtown Los Angeles in 2022, a person could ride the Gold Line from Montclair to Long Beach as a one-seat ride, or change trains once and continue on to Santa Monica.
Montclair Councilman Bill Ruh said waiting 30 minutes for a Metrolink-type train or seven minutes for the Gold Line electrified train would be two different types of service. More trains, more often, is a big reason why he prefers the Gold Line in Montclair.
“That could make a difference to someone going to a job appointment or to school, especially today when all of us are pressed for every second,” Ruh said.
Councilwoman Carolyn Raft said the city of Montclair, which has been promised a Gold Line connection for 20 years, has arranged for transit-oriented housing to be built near the Transcenter in anticipation of the Gold Line taking riders into Pasadena in 38 minutes and Los Angeles’ Union Station in 67 minutes for $1.75 a ride or less.
“We were promised we would have the Gold Line and for them to say maybe not is unacceptable,” she said, referring to the SBCTA’s exploration of expanded Metrolink operations.
The SBCTA, in a staff report, said the agency may not be able to operate Gold Line service at seven-minute intervals during peak hours. It also says “Metrolink enhancement” service at 30-minute intervals would be more economically feasible.
Balian said while the SBCTA may be locked into accepting the Gold Line if the $450 million can be obtained to extend it to Claremont, it “would be very problematic for the overall operation” of the light rail if the agency could not maintain seven-minute service intervals.
