Documents and forms

2019 Gold Line Updates

Gold Line News

January 2019

Last Friday, the City of Montclair submitted to the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority a Formal Response to a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) that is studying a proposal by the Construction Authority to consider splitting the Gold Line Phase 2B Extension Project from Glendora to Montclair into multiple construction phases, with a future Gold Line station in either La Verne or Pomona North to be designated as the “temporary” terminus. Pursuant to provisions of Assembly Bill 1600 (Torres), the Montclair Transcenter is the designated terminus for the eastern section of the Gold Line light rail system.

Under the Construction Authority proposal, each construction phase would be completed as a separate project, and each project would not move forward until funding is available. Splitting the Phase 2B Project into multiple construction phases would result in a revised extension of Gold Line light rail service to the Montclair Transcenter from the current 2026 operational date, to no sooner than 2028. However, the Construction Authority would need to develop the necessary funding to extend Gold Line light rail service beyond the future La Verne Gold Line Station or future Pomona North Gold Line Station.

In November 2018, the Construction Authority Board of Directors determined that splitting the Phase 2B Project into multiple construction phases was necessitated by the fact that the lowest responsible bid for the Phase 2B Project came in at least $570 million above the $630± million for the entire Phase 2B Project extension from Glendora to Montclair—monies made available to the Construction Authority by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) through a Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grant, and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA)—the latter for the Montclair Segment of the extension project from the Los Angeles County-San Bernardino County line between the cities of Claremont and Montclair, for construction to the Montclair Transcenter along the Metrolink alignment.
In deciding to split the Phase 2B Project into multiple construction phases, and asking the two lowest responsible bidders to re-bid on each of the split projects, with a deadline for submission in June 2019, the Construction Authority is of the opinion that it will be able to more accurately determine the cost of construction of each project phase, and determine its course of action as it relates to funding future construction phases.
The City’s submission to the Construction Authority is intended to serve as a multi-level response to the following two issues:

  1. The SEIR and the proposed splitting of the Phase 2B Project into multiple procurement phases, with future Gold Line stations in either La Verne or Pomona serving as a “temporary” terminus until Gold Line light rail service is extended to the Montclair Transcenter in a future procurement phase.In its Formal Response to this first issue, the City of Montclair respectfully opposed splitting the Phase 2B Extension Project from Glendora to Montclair and, instead, requested the Construction Authority use available Metro funds, CalSTA TIRCP grant funds, and SBCTA funds as a local match to pursue Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Fast Start grants, or other grants, to complete the Phase 2B Project as a single project from Glendora to Montclair.

    If the Construction Authority moves forward with multiple construction phases, the City of Montclair respectfully requested the Construction Authority immediately proceed to use available Metro, CalSTA TIRCP, and SBCTA funds reserved for the La Verne to Montclair or Pomona to Montclair construction phase as a local match to pursue FTA Fast Start grants or other grants, to complete the Phase 2B Gold Line Extension Project to the Montclair Transcenter.

    The City of Montclair points to Assembly Bill 1600 (Torres)—a 2012 state law that (1) adds the City of Montclair as an “extension city” and naming the Montclair Transcenter as the Gold Line system’s eastern terminus. AB 1600 also directs the Construction Authority to pursue both state and federal funds to complete construction of Gold Line light rail service to the Montclair Transcenter.

    In addition, Montclair maintains that (1) pursuant to San Bernardino County’s Measure I Expenditure Plan, SBCTA is required to participate in the funding for construction of Gold Line light rail service to the Montclair Transcenter; and (2) pursuant to “secondary criteria” provisions contained in the CalSTA TIRCP grant application, the Construction Authority has an obligation to extend the Gold Line to a “disadvantaged community,” as defined by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)—both the cities of Pomona and Montclair qualify under CalEPA standards—and must produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions at sustained levels sufficient to allow for the proposed project to be impactful to the environment.

    Further, the City of Montclair notes that in splitting the Phase 2B Extension Project into multiple construction phases and asking the two lowest responsible bidders to rebid each phase, the Construction Authority opens itself to cost increases above-and-beyond what was presented in the original bid packages opened by the Construction Authority in September 2018. Since the bid responses were first assembled in mid-2018, the nation’s economic profile has become decidedly less encouraging—increasing the likelihood that a proposed re-bid process would result in higher cost estimates for each construction phase of a multi-phased Gold Line Extension Project from Glendora to Montclair. The City of Montclair also notes that in light of recent discussions at the national level regarding the proposed construction of a “steel-slat” border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the cost of steel, a primary light-rail-system construction material, is likely to increase significantly based on both speculation and supply and demand if Congress agrees to some level of border wall funding. If bid costs for a multi-phased Gold Line Extension Project do come in substantially higher, the Construction Authority will be faced with a dilemma on how to proceed without funds sufficient to build the Extension Project to Pomona North, and perhaps not even to La Verne.

    In November 2018, the City of Montclair advocated that the original bid responses be rejected, and the Construction Authority revise its project estimates and seek Federal grants to close the funding gap; however, the Construction Authority elected to proceed with conducting an SEIR to determine the site of a “temporary” terminus, either in La Verne or Pomona.

  2. A letter submitted by SBCTA to the Construction Authority, dated on or about December 21, 2018, and entered into the public record regarding the Phase 2B Extension Project and its shared integration into the existing Metrolink San Bernardino Line Alignment.In its letter to the Construction Authority, SBCTA postulated that Metrolink ridership on the San Bernardino Line would suffer if it is required to share its alignment with Gold Line light rail service from Pomona to Montclair. As evidence, SBCTA points to a 25 percent ridership decline at the Covina Metrolink station following the opening of the two Azusa Gold Line stations (Azusa Downtown Station and Azusa APC/Citrus Station) in March 2016. The obvious purpose of the SBCTA letter is to convince the Construction Authority to terminate Gold Line light rail service at a future Gold Line La Verne Station, or a future Gold Line Pomona North Station, if the Construction Authority determines it has funding to extend Gold Line light rail service to the Pomona North Metrolink Station.

    The SBCTA letter was signed by Representative Pete Aguilar, Assembly Member Eloise Gomez Reyes, County Supervisors Janice Rutherford and Josie Gonzalez, Upland Mayor Debbie Stone, Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Dennis Michael, Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren, Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson, and Redlands Mayor Paul Foster.

In its Formal Response to this second issue, the City of Montclair respectfully objected to positions taken in the SBCTA letter suggesting that (1) Gold Line light rail service sharing approximately three miles of Metrolink San Bernardino Line alignment from Pomona to Montclair represents a serious harm to the San Bernardino Line’s ridership; and (2) the Construction Authority, in order to avoid any adverse future impact on Metrolink San Bernardino Line ridership, should reconsider extending Gold Line light rail service to Pomona and/or Claremont and Montclair.

Montclair’s Formal Response also questions SBCTA’s focus on a reported decline in Metrolink ridership out of the Covina Metrolink Station as justification to terminate Gold Line light rail service at, or short of, the Metrolink San Bernardino Line alignment out of the Pomona North Metrolink Station. SBCTA uses the Covina Metrolink Station ridership decline to argue that “rail-to-rail migration” is reducing Metrolink passenger boardings, and that even greater rail-to-rail migration will increase if, and when, Gold Line light rail service integrates with the Metrolink San Bernardino Line at the Pomona North Metrolink Station, and/or beyond to the Montclair Transcenter. In its questioning of SBCTA’s effort to correlate Metrolink ridership decline primarily to rail-to-rail migration, Montclair cites a number of studies that demonstrate Metrolink has been suffering annual ridership decline throughout its system over the past decade, and that there are many other causes for public transit decline that are not associated with the presence of an alternative public transit service. To support its position, Montclair made the following observations:

  • The Gold Line serves the foothill cities of San Gabriel Valley; Pasadena; and Los Angeles. In contrast, Metrolink is a direct line between Los Angeles Union Station and San Bernardino. Together, they are complementary, not competitive, transit services that are vital to accessibility and integration into a larger mobility network designed to serve the needs of transit riders, and provide the greatest level of penetration into a region to promote the connectivity and accessibility that transit is vitally dependent on.
  • Ridership out of the Covina Metrolink station declined, in part, because many of the transit riders previously using the Covina Metrolink station were from neighborhoods closer to the new Azusa Gold Line stations, and found it more convenient to access transit service at the Azusa stations—in effect, these transit riders chose to take advantage of “transit ridership in my backyard” (TRIMBY).
  • The Gold Line light rail trip out of the Azusa stations does not appreciably increase the commute time to Los Angeles’ Union Station, and is certainly more advantageous to Azusa-area transit riders if the destination is Pasadena or other foothill cities in the San Gabriel Valley.
  • Transit riders out of the Azusa area who may be going beyond Los Angeles Union Station on Gold Line light-rail service are not required to de-board at Union Station or transfer to other transit services.
  • The Gold Line offers a direct route to Pasadena as a destination, whereas Metrolink riders would require a transfer out of Los Angeles Union Station to the Gold Line for transit service to Pasadena, adding greater time for a Metrolink commute to Pasadena.
  • Gold Line fares are significantly lower than Metrolink fares.
  • Gold Line service is typically at regular 4- to 7-minute intervals all day long throughout each weekday, versus a varying schedule for Metrolink trains that can operate with 30-minute to one hour or greater arrival and departure intervals, with limited operating hours each day.

The City also observed that when SBCTA joined with Metro and the Construction Authority to apply for the CalSTA TIRCP grant in January 2018, the application was filed approximately 22 months after the Azusa Gold Line Stations went operational in March 2016. SBCTA reports that the Covina Metrolink station saw an immediate decline in ridership due to rail-to-rail migration. In fact, Metrolink’s own January 2018 study, Falling Transit Ridership: California and Southern California, attributes an ongoing and decade-long decline in boardings to personal vehicle ownership. Specifically, the report states:

“In the last ten years, transit use in Southern California has fallen significantly….and consider an array of explanations for falling transit use: declining transit service levels, eroding transit service quality, rising fares, falling fuel prices, the growth of Lyft and Uber, the migration of frequent transit users to outlying neighborhoods with less transit service, and rising vehicle ownership….we conclude that the most significant factor is increased motor vehicle access, particularly among low-income households that have traditionally supplied the region with its most frequent and reliable transit users.”

Thus, it is clear that Metrolink boardings began their decline long before the Gold Line Azusa stations went operational. In any event, if ridership decline on the Metrolink San Bernardino Line was an issue, SBCTA failed to address or acknowledge the concern at the time it joined with Metro and the Construction Authority at the time they jointly applied for the TIRCP grant, and only now raises it as part of the SEIR process.

In its Formal Response, the City of Montclair was compelled to ask a question regarding purported public transit service competition: So what? Generally, competition is considered healthy because it spurs innovation, superior service and products, a range of choices, and greater interest and purchasing momentum among members of the population acquiring the service or product. In other words, competition can end up creating a larger base of riders that may come to appreciate and enjoy the benefits of public transit and use the services on a frequent basis. However, for this outcome to be realized, transit must become an attractive product for users; i.e., it must provide connectivity and accessibility, with an array of choices that allow for integration into the larger mobility network that is emerging and capturing the interest of a commuting public. Just like highway commuters, transit riders require door-to-door service. Public transit should function as the backbone to deliver larger numbers of passengers to connectivity points that offer accessibility to a mobility network that includes buses, other trains, pedestrian walking routes, bicycle paths, shuttle services, ride-hailing/sharing services, taxi services, transit district living, micro-transit to airports and other points, and a range of other choices that truly make transit functional, accommodating, and welcoming.

Finally, the City’s Formal Response discusses the role Montclair has taken in relation to bringing Gold Line light rail service to the Montclair Transcenter.

The deadline to submit the Formal Response was Friday, January 4, 2019. However, because the City of Montclair did not become aware of SBCTA’s transmission of its letter to the Construction Authority until a December 22, 2018, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin article, City staff had little time between the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday period to prepare both a response and secure the support of outside agencies. Nonetheless, Montclair timely submitted its Formal Response and is in the process of asking for support letters from Federal and State legislators throughout the region.

After its submission, the City of Montclair Formal Response became part of the public record and the Construction Authority will be required to respond.

A full copy of the City of Montclair Formal Response to the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report—Gold Line Phase 2B Procurement, dated January 3, 2019, can be viewed here.

The Construction Authority welcomed two new board members: Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and La Verne Council Member Robin Carder. Both Mayor Sandoval and Council Member Carder, former members of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Corridor Joint Powers Authority, were immediately elected to lead the 9-member board, with Mayor Sandoval elected to the Chairmanship and Council Member Carder elected Vice Chairwoman.
Concurrent with the leadership change, the Construction Authority is preparing to request new bids from the two design-build teams competing for the Glendora to Montclair project. Bid requests will be released in March 2019, with responses due back to the Construction Authority in May 2019.

In November 2019, the Construction Authority Board of Directors ordered that the two lowest bidders on the Phase 2B Extension Project from Glendora to Montclair rebid the Project after the lowest responsible bid came in at $570 million above projected costs. By breaking Phase 2B into multiple construction projects, the Construction Authority seeks to identify the cost for each construction phase and use available funds as the basis for determining how much of the Glendora to Montclair Project can be constructed as part of the first construction phase.

In recent weeks, the Construction Authority and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) worked to value engineer the project to reduce projected construction costs. That process apparently produced an estimated $133 million in cost reductions for the Phase 2B Extension Project, leaving an estimated $97 million shortfall to build the Project to the Pomona North Metrolink Station. However, the actual cost for any segment of a bifurcated project will not be known until the May 2019 rebids are received. The City of Montclair is concerned that based on current economic trends and rhetoric out of Washington D.C. to use steel for construction of a border wall (steel is the primary material used for construction of a light rail system), rebidding the project may result in higher-than-anticipated cost estimates—costs that could potentially unwind current efforts to construct the Project to Pomona.

Montclair also notes that building the Phase 2B Extension Project to Pomona is vital to retention of the full $280 million in Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grant dollars awarded to Metro for construction of the Project from Glendora to Montclair, including approximately $36 million for the Montclair Segment (from Claremont to the Montclair Transcenter). According to TIRCP grant application guidelines, connection to a disadvantaged community is an essential “secondary criteria” for award of the grant. Without constructing to Pomona and east to Montclair, the Project does not meet the “secondary criteria” standard for connectivity to disadvantaged communities as determined by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA).

In the event that the rebid process, value engineering, and additional Metro or state dollars allow the Construction Authority to build the Phase 2B Extension Project to Pomona, the Construction Authority estimates the remaining shortfall to build from Glendora to Claremont is approximately $340 million. Montclair estimates that the revised, projected cost to construct from Claremont to Montclair may now be up to approximately $120 million—up from a previous estimate of approximately $78 million. Later this month, Metro staff is expected to present a draft funding plan for the shortfall from La Verne to Claremont—Item 34 on the Metro board January agenda is expected to provide Metro’s proposed plan, including several longer-term proposals that could potentially fill the gap within the contract option timeline.

While Metro and the Construction Authority work to identify ways to reduce current project funding shortfalls, interim phasing of construction is currently undergoing environmental review. In that regard, last week, Montclair submitted its Formal Response to the division of the Phase 2B Extension Project into multiple construction phases, arguing that pursuant to Assembly Bill 1600 (Torres-2012), the Project should be built to Montclair as a single procurement, and that the Construction Authority should use its $630 million in available construction funds as a local match to secure $570 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Fast Starts grant dollars, or other federal funds. With time crucial to this process, Montclair now finds that due to the Federal Government shutdown, FTA personnel have been furloughed and are unavailable to respond to inquiries.

In the face of a significant funding shortfall for the Phase 2B Foothill Gold Line Extension Project from Glendora to Montclair that threatens to “temporarily” terminate the Project at the Pomona North Metrolink Station (instead of at the Montclair Transcenter), Montclair has actively advocated for consideration of non-state funding sources, including Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Fast Starts grants. In its Formal Response to the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), Montclair argues that pursuant to provisions of Assembly Bill 1600 (AB 1600), introduced in 2012 by then Assembly Member Norma Torres and Chaptered as Section 132400 et seq. of the Public Utilities Code, the Construction Authority is statutorily mandated to make every effort to secure the funds required to construct the Gold Line eastern extension to the Montclair Transcenter. Targeted funds should include allocations and transfers of funds from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private entities.

The Construction Authority has demonstrated reluctance to use federal funds for the Phase 2B Project, arguing it could take five to ten years to complete an environmental review through the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). In response, Montclair has approached the office of Congresswoman Norma Torres to ask that federal legislation be proposed to exempt qualified transit projects from NEPA if they have undergone a state environmental review process equal to, or exceeding, the requirements of NEPA. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a state-mandated environmental review process that is equivalent to, and exceeds, NEPA requirements. The Phase 2B Extension Project completed a CEQA review in 2013, completed a CEQA SEIR in 2015, and is now undergoing a second CEQA SEIR to “temporarily” establish the terminus at either La Verne or Pomona.

A similar exemption from NEPA already exists in relation to highway transportation projects that have undergone state environmental reviews equal to, or exceeding, NEPA. Extending a NEPA exemption to transit projects is a fair and reasonable approach to avoiding duplication of environmental reviews for cleared projects requiring federal funding assistance.

The City’s Federal Legislative Advocate, David Turch & Associates, agrees with the approach pursued by Montclair and Congresswoman Torres’ office, particularly considering the national reach such legislation would have, and will facilitate contacts in Washington D.C. to move the legislation forward.

Council Member Bill Ruh attended a meeting of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors to support a board motion to approve finalizing negotiations with the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority to provide $97 million in additional funding to build the Gold Line Phase 2B Extension Project from Glendora to Pomona, with an option to build to Montclair, as part of the same procurement contract if additional funding is secured over the next two years. In its deliberations, the Board looked at a number of funding options and ultimately agreed to commit additional funding through a negotiated process with the Construction Authority.

With the commitment by Metro to secure additional dollars, the Phase 2B Project is now believed to potentially have sufficient funding for construction to Pomona. However, actual costs for construction of the Phase 2B Extension from Glendora to Pomona will not be known until the multi-phased project is rebid in February 2019, with bid opening in May 2019.

Before reaching its decision, the Metro Board considered several funding options, including stripping from the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, and Claremont regional Measure M funding for local bus and transit programs—a proposal vigorously opposed by each of the cities. Measure M is the half-cent sales tax measure approved by Los Angeles County voters for transportation projects.
Over the next two years, the Construction Authority will continue to seek the estimated $360 million needed to build light rail service from Pomona to Montclair—including an estimated $260 million for the Pomona to Claremont Segment and $100 million for the Claremont to Montclair segment.

Metro Directors County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Duarte Mayor John Fasana provided leadership in ensuring the first phase of the multi-phased construction project has sufficient funding to include Pomona; and Metro Chief Executive Officer Phil Washington and his team worked with the Construction Authority to reduce Project costs by approximately $133 million. Together, value engineering the Phase 2B Project to reduce costs from Glendora to Pomona by $133 million, plus the $97 million commitment by Metro, allowed the Construction Authority to incorporate the $230 million extension from La Verne to Pomona into the first phase of the procurement.

The Metro action was supported by many officials who wrote letters and attended last Thursday’s board meeting to speak in support of the item and its importance to commuters and the region. Present were staff representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Norma Torres, State Senators Connie Leyva and Anthony Portantino, and Assembly Members Chris Holden, Blanca Rubio, Freddie Rodriguez, and Ed Chau. Other attendees included Construction Authority Chairman and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and Vice Chair and La Verne Council Member Robin Carder, and representatives from the cities of Pomona, Claremont, and Montclair. Each expressed the need to get to Pomona, but also to finish the project to Claremont and Montclair as soon as possible.

Building the Phase 2B Project to Pomona was an important requirement of the $286 million Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grant allocated to the Project by the California State Transportation Administration (CalSTA) in April 2018. The grant required the Phase 2B Project be connected to a disadvantaged community—a connection not provided by the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, or La Verne. Officials with the Construction Authority are of the opinion that with a Pomona connection, the Construction Authority will likely keep the full amount of the TIRCP grant. If correct, such a decision could harm the Montclair Segment of the Project by stripping approximately $32 million of the TIRCP grant from the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA)—funding that was vital to completion of the Montclair Segment of the light rail extension. TIRCP funding could also be lost to the Pomona to Claremont Segment of the Phase 2B Project.

Losing the TIRCP grant for the Montclair Segment would leave the Claremont to Montclair extension short by an estimated $56 million—SBCTA has developed approximately $44 million for construction of the Montclair Segment, now estimated to cost approximately $100 million.

The Pomona to Montclair Segment will now depend on approval of additional TIRCP funding from CalSTA. If current TIRCP grant dollars are lost to the Pomona to Montclair Segment, the cities of Pomona, Claremont, and Montclair (supported by Metro, the Construction Authority and SBCTA) would need to argue that CalSTA agreed to a reduced Phase 2B Project for the full grant amount; therefore, a future TIRCP grant application for the Pomona to Montclair Segment should be considered a separate project for the purpose of determining greenhouse gas emission reductions and connection to disadvantaged communities.

March 2019

On March 22, the Foothill Gold Line Extension Construction Authority released its Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Glendora to Montclair Phase 2B Project. The Draft SEIR is available for review and comment until May 6, 2019, with a public meeting/hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 16.  The Construction Authority anticipates bringing the Final SEIR to its Board of Directors in June or July 2019 and issuing a Notice to Proceed in August 2019, with construction to begin in 2020 for the base contract from Glendora to Pomona. The construction timeline for the option to Montclair will be determined at a later date.

April 2019

City staff attended a special Metrolink San Bernardino Line/Gold Line Phase 2B Task Force assembled by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) at its downtown Los Angeles Headquarters to discuss a way forward for Gold Line light rail service and Metrolink commuter rail to run parallel from Pomona to the Montclair Transcenter. Attending were various representatives from Metro, Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA-Metrolink), Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority), San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), Pomona, and Montclair.

The objective was to engage in conceptual design and planning in support of the Pomona to Montclair portion of the Phase 2B Gold Line Light Rail Extension Project from Pomona to Montclair to achieve complementary, not competitive, rail services. The effort emerged after concern was registered by both SCRRA and SBCTA that parallel service with Metrolink and the Gold Line from Pomona to Montclair would cause serious harm to Metrolink ridership.

The Metrolink fare from Montclair to Los Angeles’ Union Station for adult, weekday ridership for a roundtrip fare is $14.50, the Military fare is $13, the Student/Youth fare is $11, and the Senior/Disabled/Medicare fare is $7. Metrolink also offers a $10 Weekend Pass for unlimited system-wide travel with free transfer to connecting transit services, a Seven-Day Pass that offers an approximately 30 percent discount based on 10 rides per week, and a Monthly Pass that offers an approximately 36 percent discount based on 44 rides per month.

In contrast, the Gold Line base fare, one-way, is $1.75 and $0.75 for Seniors/Disabled/Medicare riders during peak hours and $0.35 for off-peak, and students K-12 are $1. A day pass is $7, or $2.50 for Seniors/Disabled/Medicare riders. A 7-day pass is $25 for all riders, and a 30-day pass is $100, $20 for Seniors/Disabled/Medicare riders, $43 for college and vocational students, and $24 for K-12 riders.

The fare differential raises serious concerns for Metrolink if both services are allowed to run parallel from Pomona to Montclair. To achieve resolution, the Task Force will focus on five target goals or tasks:

  1. Use similar systems and services for strategies to optimize mode transfers. In this regard, Montclair was selected as the base study facility to model optimal service. Montclair already functions as a multi-modal transit center with both rail and bus service, as well as the availability for other options including shuttle services to Ontario International Airport, ride-hailing services (Uber and Lyft), regional and fixed-route bus services, micro-transit services, and bicycle and pedestrian access. Conceptually, the current design for the Gold Line Montclair station platform would be redesigned to allow for a central platform design that allows riders to easily transition between Metrolink and Gold Line services, buses, and other mobility network services. Montclair was designated the base study facility following an in-depth discussion regarding ongoing and planned development of Montclair’s transit district, integration of high-density and mixed-used projects around the Transcenter, and redevelopment of Montclair Place through a comprehensive, specific planning process.
  2. Evaluate Metrolink service scenarios. In this regard, the scope of work would evaluate different models that would maintain current Metrolink service levels, with the potential to increase service headways (time between train arrivals/departures) to 30-minute intervals throughout each day. Montclair made the observation that for transit to be truly accessible and to achieve the greatest level of connectivity, the scenarios need to evaluate 15-minute, all-day service scenarios, particularly if Metrolink is to remain complementary and competitive with Gold Line light rail service. Montclair also emphasized the need to consider migrating to the Diesel Hybrid Units (DMUs) proposed by SBCTA if Metrolink is to achieve greater efficiency and improved headways. SBCTA proposes using the DMUs from San Bernardino to Redlands and Montclair to Pomona; however, a more effective deployment would be to expand DMU service, at least initially, to run from Pomona or Montclair to Redlands, and then eventually from Los Angeles’ Union Station to Redlands–the entire length of the San Bernardino Metrolink line. The Task Force agreed that headways should be improved to 15-minute intervals, with the Pomona/Montclair to Redlands Segment the first to achieve 15-minute headway treatment and Metrolink commuter rail from Union Station to Pomona/Montclair to be improved, at least initially, to 30-minute intervals.In contrast, Gold Line light rail service operates every 7 minutes during peak hours Monday through Friday. Middays consist of 12-18 minute headways, while weekends all day have a frequency of 12-18 minutes. Nighttime service operates every 20 minutes.
  3. Undertake sensitivity analysis on ridership and fares. SBCTA expressed concern that Gold Line service would draw passengers away from the Metrolink, thereby requiring larger subsidies by SBCTA, Metro, and SCRRA. SBCTA pointed to a ridership decline at the Covina Metrolink Station of approximately 100± riders following introduction of light rail service at the Azusa Gold Line station in March 2016. Metro did note, however, that Covina ridership has substantially returned to previous levels. The Gold Line notes that while Metrolink saw a decline of approximately 100± riders, the Gold Line saw an increase of 9,000 riders following initiation of Gold Line Phase 2A service from Pasadena to Azusa, achieving a much larger good for transit overall. Montclair noted that both Metrolink and Gold Line target different service areas, and the objective is to build up transit ridership demand to the point that multiple services are necessary. Montclair discussed its efforts in North Montclair to increase the potential transit ridership base, an effort that would sustain the need for multiple transit services. Montclair also analogized that Metrolink ridership declined, temporarily, as riders sought to explore the new Gold Line service. A similar process occurs when a new shopping mall opens and customers switch to the new “mall experience,” but eventually return to the neighborhood mall for convenience and satisfaction of their shopping needs. Montclair concluded by noting that Metrolink cannot sustain a competitive service if it does not address its rate structure, headway schedule, and performance gaps vis-à-vis the Gold Line rate structure and headway schedule.The Task Force will also examine other differences between the two rail services to complement service transitions; e.g., the Gold Line uses a TAP system and controlled gates for boarding, while Metrolink is an open system that uses paper ticketing and a phone app for boardings. The Task Force recognized that these differences must be overcome to promote dual compatibility between the services and multi-modal convenience for riders.
  4. Identify other innovations based on industrywide best practices. The Task Force will examine multi-modal operations deployed at other systems, nationwide, for lessons learned. Based on that examination, the Task Force will seek to implement similar, successful strategies along the Pomona to Montclair segment to achieve compatibility between Metrolink and the Gold Line.
  5. Recommended approach and cost impacts. Upon completion of its analysis, the Task Force will submit to the Metro Board a Final Draft Report based on conclusion reached, including a cost analysis.

Montclair is pleased to have been selected as the case study for the multi-modal analysis, with lessons learned to be adapted to other stations in the Metro system that may face similar issues with competitive rail/transit services, including Pomona and Claremont. However, the immediate task at hand for Montclair remains the funding issue for full completion of the Gold Line Phase 2B Project from Glendora to Montclair. A final cost estimate is expected in June 2019, after the Construction Authority receives new bids on the rephrased procurement. The bids will look at the cost of construction from Glendora to La Verne, Glendora to Pomona, Pomona to Claremont, and Claremont to Montclair. Only then will the Construction Authority know what funds are needed to complete the Phase 2B Project to Montclair. According to the Construction Authority, if funding can be developed by August 2021 for the final procurement segment(s), the entire length of the Project can be built by the successful bidder, with completion to Montclair by 2028.

June 2019

The Foothill Gold Line Extension Construction Authority announced the release of the Alignment Design Build Request for Proposals (RFP) to the four pre-qualified, design-build teams competing to build the Glendora to Montclair (Phase 2B) project. The RFP includes tens of thousands of pages of updated engineering and project information, including detailed drawings of every aspect of the 12.3-mile project.

August 2019

The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) held a special meeting to consider concurrence with Metro’s request to use a significant amount of the SGVCOG’s Measure M Subregional Equity Fund to close the funding gap for the Foothill Gold Line project. Bids received in May 2019 by the Foothill Gold Line Extension Construction Authority showed a $126 million added cost to build the Phase 2B Extension to Pomona. Earlier this year, the Metro Board had voted to allocate $97 million from the SGVCOG Subregional Equity Fund to complete the Project to Pomona. Measure M established Equity Funds for each subregion in Los Angeles County to be used for transportation projects after 2043. The SGVCOG was allocated approximately $199 million. The Metro Board’s action, if endorsed by the SGVCOG, would accelerate the use of $126 million from the fund for the Phase 2B Project.

The SGVCOG was encouraged by a number of regional leaders to support the Metro Board’s decision, including Congress Members Judy Chu and Norma Torres, Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger, Metro CEO Phil Washington, and Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Board Member John Fasana. After about two hours of discussion, all 27 members of the SGVCOG’s governing board selflessly voted to support the Metro request at the expense of transportation projects in their respective communities. The SGVCOG vote highlighted the importance of completing the Phase 2B project to the San Gabriel Valley communities and on to Pomona.

The decision by the Construction Authority Board to award the contract to Kiewit-Parsons did, however, increase the cost of construction for the Pomona to Montclair Segment by approximately $36 million.

Why did the Pomona to Montclair Segment increase in estimated cost by $36 million?

The Glendora to Montclair project was split into the two separate design-build components (Glendora to Pomona, and Pomona to Montclair). In responding to the bid proposal for the two design-build procurements the two selected contractors, Kiewit-Parsons and AECOM, each bid the two procurements differently.

Kiewit-Parsons’ bid for the entire Glendora to Montclair project is $19 million less than the bid provided by AECOM; however, Kiewit-Parsons bid for the Pomona to Montclair Segment is $36 million higher than AECOM’s bid for the Pomona to Montclair Segment. As designed, the respective design-build procurements could not be awarded separately, primarily because the Construction Authority does not have the funds to construct the Pomona to Montclair Segment, and only has funds to build the Glendora to Pomona segment at the lower bid cost provided by Kiewit-Parsons; therefore, the entire Phase 2B Project has now been awarded to Kiewit-Parsons.

Going forward, the Construction Authority needs to generate an estimated $381.3 million to build the project from Pomona to Claremont, $95 million to build the project from Claremont to Montclair, and an additional $73.7 million for other related costs. To date, there is no funding for the Pomona to Claremont segment; however, the Montclair Segment has $49 million allocated to it from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program grant awarded to the Phase 2B Project in April for a total of approximately $94 million. Thus, the Construction Authority and its partner agencies have until September 2021 to develop approximately $450 million in funding if the Pomona to Montclair Segment is to be included in the current design-build procurement and be completed by 2028.

Following the vote to award the bid, Council Member Ruh eloquently spoke on unity and how it played an important role in moving the Project forward, noting that with all collaborating partners working together, the Gold Line has managed to overcome each hurdle in its path, and that the Gold Line would be built to Montclair.

October 2019

The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority and the City of Pomona hosted a historic press conference on Friday, October 4, 2019, at at Pomona City Hall to sign the design-build contract for the Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Montclair. The signing event follows the contract award to the joint venture team of Kiewit-Parsons this past August, and will mark the official start of major construction.

The Design-Build Contract includes an $805.6 million base scope for the first nine miles of the project from Glendora to Pomona, with a two-year contract option to complete the full project to Montclair if additional funds (approximately $450 million) are secured by October 2021, for a total construction contract amount of $1,186.9 million. The contract signing officially marks the beginning of major construction for the Glendora to Montclair project, and also starts the clock ticking on the contract option. The Glendora to Pomona segment is anticipated to be completed in 2025, and the Pomona to Montclair Segment is scheduled for completion by 2028 if the contract option is initiated.

At the October 7, 2019, City Council Meeting, the Montclair City Council adopted Resolution No. 19–3253 supporting the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority’s planned optional Design–Build 2 extension of Gold Line Light Rail service from the City of Pomona to the City of Montclair, and further supporting retention of the Montclair Transcenter as the present eastern terminus of Gold Line Light Rail Service.

Specifically, the City Council noted the following:

1. The Construction Authority and its Gold Line Extension Project partners have overcome repeated and significant political, technological and economic challenges and hurdles;

2. The Project continues to be regarded as one of the region’s most significant transit projects in scope because it promotes and expands on mobility, accessibility and inter–transit connectivity; creates economic opportunities; contributes greatly to improving the environment; and promotes significant reductions in vehicle miles travelled and improvements to congestion relief;

3. The Project has garnered widespread support from transit and legislative leaders throughout the state and at the federal level;

4. The Project receives widespread support from citizens throughout the region, current transit riders, the development community, and cities along the Gold Line Extension corridor;

5. The Project is mandated by state law (AB 1600) to extend to its eastern terminus at the Montclair Transcenter;

6. In 2004, San Bernardino County voters approved re–authorization of Measure I and its inclusion of the Gold Line light rail extension to Montclair, and the SanBAG Board of Directors has named the Gold Line Extension to Montclair as a priority transit project for San Bernardino County;

7. Metro is firmly committed to the Gold Line Extension as a priority project vital to its 28–by–28 transit objectives;

8. Through their support of Measure R and Measure M, Los Angeles County voters overwhelmingly demonstrated their commitment to the Gold Line and the expansion of other transit and transportation projects that will serve the people of Southern California;

9. The 27 cities of the SGVCOG demonstrated selfless commitment to the greater regional need for the Gold Line Extension as a vital transit link between Los Angeles, the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, and the Inland Empire;

10. The state, through one of the largest TIRCP grants awarded to date, recognizes that the Gold Line Extension Project would positively impact environmental pollution by reducing Greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion on streets, roads and highway;

11. The Gold Line Extension Project would improve access to the region’s airports and centers of employment, education, health, culture and entertainment;

12. The Gold Line Extension Project offers economic opportunities to communities throughout the region;

13. The Gold Line Extension Project directly offers opportunities of expansion in housing and other development opportunities to transit districts in and around Gold Line stations, as demonstrated by the current, ongoing and future economic activity in and around the Montclair Transcenter; and

14. The development of housing in and around Gold Line corridor cities, including Montclair, help to address the state’s housing shortage.

The City Council concluded by asking that, instead of “throwing in the towel” on the Montclair Segment of the Gold Line light rail extension as suggested by the Executive Director of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), that representatives from the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority (Metro), Metrolink, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) and the Construction Authority participate in an inter-agency and inter–county study process with partner agencies/stakeholders and legislators and transportation officials from the state and Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County to examine the following:

1. Alternatives for extending Gold Line light rail service to San Bernardino County;

2. Promotion of public transit as a means to decrease traffic congestion, reduce vehicle miles travelled, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve quality–of–life, and otherwise improve the region’s environmental quality;

3. Open and improve public transit access for all residents of the region to the wealth of educational, employment, health, entertainment, cultural, and other opportunities offered in Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County;

4. Reduce public transit costs;

5. Encourage development of TODs and associated high–density housing projects as a means to improve public transit access; and

6. Improve the convenience of public transit by expanding the rail system and integrating it into the larger mobility network by connecting with buses, microtransit, ride hailing services, bicycle and pedestrian corridors, and other mobility–related options.

On Tuesday, October 8, 2019, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin published an article entitled “Montclair Blasts San Bernardino County Transit Agency for Considering Altered Course on Gold Line”.

The article discusses Montclair Resolution No. 3253 “Supporting the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority’s Planned Optional Design–Build 2 Extension of Gold Line Light Rail Service from the City of Pomona to the City of Montclair, and Further Supporting Retention of the Montclair Transcenter as the Present Eastern Terminus of Gold Line Light Rail Service” which was unanimously adopted by the Montclair City Council at the October 7, 2019 City Council Meeting.

To view the article please click the link below.
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/10/08/montclair-blasts-san-bernardino-county-transit-agency-for-considering-altered-course-on-gold-line/

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