The Foothill Extension (formerly the Gold Line Foothill Extension) is a construction project extending the light railA Line, a part of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The project begins at the former terminus of the former Gold Line at Sierra Madre Villa station in Pasadena and continues east through the "Foothill Cities" of Los Angeles County. The plan's first stage, "Phase 2A", extended the then-Gold Line to APU/Citrus College station in Azusa; it opened on March 5, 2016. The first part of "Phase 2B" will extend the now A Line a further four stations to Pomona North station on the MetrolinkSan Bernardino Line in Pomona. It broke ground in December 2017, was substantially completed on January 3, 2025, and is currently undergoing pre-revenue testing.[3] Pre-revenue testing will last through August 2025, with an opening date expected around then or later in the summer.[4]
With the Regional Connector having opened on June 16, 2023,[10] the north (Pasadena–Azusa–Pomona) branch of the then-L/Gold Line was absorbed into the A Line, providing service from Long Beach via Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena to Azusa.[11][12][13]
Route
Map of the former L Line, with the Foothill Extension along the top. Note that Citrus Avenue station was eventually opened as part of Phase 2A as APU/Citrus College station.
The Foothill Extension was initially conceived as "Phase 2" of the Gold Line, split into two parts, hence the numbering of its two phases. The route between Los Angeles and Pasadena is considered "Phase 1". The Gold Line Construction Authority (now Foothill Gold Line), which took over the Phase 1 project from Metro in 1999, also coordinates the Phase 2 projects.
The initial draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Gold Line Foothill Extension was completed in April 2006 and covered the entire corridor between Sierra Madre Villa station in Pasadena and Montclair Transcenter in Montclair. The final environmental impact report (FEIR) study assessed two different construction options: an LRT Full Build alternative, which would complete the full extension to Montclair, and an LRT Build To Azusa alternative, which would extend only to Azusa; this was dubbed Phase 2A. On February 28, 2007, the Construction Authority Board certified the final EIR and decided to complete the "LRT Build to Azusa" alternative.[15]
In October 2009, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) board of directors unanimously voted to include the Gold Line Foothill Extension in its long-range plan and approved funding for the construction and operation of Phase 2A. A groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2A was held on June 26, 2010;[16] construction began the following summer and was completed in September 2015, with the extension entering service on March 5, 2016. The original project budget for Phase 2A was $690 million, including not only construction but also the purchase of vehicles, financing, administrative costs, mitigation, and other costs;[17] in March 2011, the Construction Authority requested a $45 million increase in total budget, to $735 million, to reflect updated cost estimates.[18] Phase 2A is 11.5 miles (18.5 km) long and included stations at Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte/City of Hope, Irwindale, Azusa Downtown, and APU/Citrus College, as well as a new Division 24 Maintenance and Storage Facility.[1]
Phase 2B to Montclair
Phase 2B is the project to extend the A Line from the Phase 2A terminus in Azusa east to Montclair. The final EIR was certified by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Foothill Gold Line) board in March 2013.[19]
Proposed station listing
Montclair – proposed terminus of the line
Phase 2B is 12.3 miles (19.8 km) long and will take approximately 17.9 minutes to traverse.[14] The segment between Azusa and Pomona is 9.1 miles (14.6 km) long and the segment between Pomona and Montclair is 3.2 miles (5.1 km) long.[2] The alignment will have six new Metro stations: Glendora; San Dimas; La Verne/Fairplex; and Pomona North with a connection to the MetrolinkSan Bernardino Line; Claremont with a connection to the Metrolink San Bernardino Line; and Montclair with a connection to the Metrolink San Bernardino Line and the Foothill TransitSilver Streak. Foothill Gold Line expects 17,800 riders by 2035.[20]
Status
Planning for the Foothill Extension Phase 2B (Azusa to Montclair) began in 2003, and significant work has been completed for the segment. The final EIR for the project was certified by the Foothill Gold Line board in March 2013, and advanced conceptual engineering began in 2014. On June 23, 2017, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro's) board of directors approved a $1.4 billion budget Thursday to extend the A Line (then the Gold Line) from APU/Citrus College station in Pasadena to Claremont station in Claremont, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) to the east.[21] However, officials in San Bernardino County convinced planners to further continue the extension to Montclair Transcenter in Montclair, an additional 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the east, saying the transit center made for a natural terminus for the line.[22] It is expected to cost an additional $70 million to extend the A Line from Claremont to Montclair, across county lines.[23] Construction on Phase 2B of the Foothill Extension is split into two projects. Project 1 is the relocation of freight railroad tracks, which is complete. Project 2 is the construction of the light rail line itself the A Line utilizes.[24]
Full construction to Claremont and Montclair by 2028 depended on additional funding to be secured by October 2021.[25] However, on September 10, 2021, state funding was past due for constructing the route further east of Pomona. This pushed the opening date to Montclair back, as well as outright placing the 3.2-mile segment at risk of cancellation altogether.[26] However, Foothill Gold Line was persistent in seeking funding for the project.
On July 8, 2024, Governor of CaliforniaGavin Newsom and the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) announced the distribution of the first year of funding from California State Senate Bill 125 (SB125).[27] Metro allocated $798 million of SB125 funding to complete the Los Angeles County portion of the Pomona to Montclair project. Courtesy of the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), CalSTA released close to $500 million for the project, with the remainder of the $798 million to be allocated by the end of 2024. On July 11, 2024, the Foothill Gold Line board of directors unanimously voted to work with Kiewit Corporation as their contractor to build the Pomona to Montclair project. The project's construction contract award is set for spring 2025 and should take five years to complete and open in 2030.[6][7] On October 31, 2024, having received the total $798 million in funding from CalSTA, the Metro board of directors unanimously voted to transfer the funds to Foothill Gold Line. Additionally, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) has set aside $80 million in funding to directly fund the construction of the approximately 1-mile-long (1.6 km) segment of the extension within San Bernardino County, matching the project's current total estimated cost of $878 million.[28]
Construction
On December 2, 2017, officials broke ground for Phase 2B in a ceremony at Citrus College. The cost of the project was estimated at $1.5 billion.[29] Completion of Phase 2B (including Montclair Transcenter) was expected by early 2026.[24] On July 10, 2020, major construction began on Phase 2B, building four stations from Azusa to Pomona. The first part of the construction focused on reconstructing the 28 at-grade crossings and relocating utilities. Gladstone Street in San Dimas was the first one to begin.[30] Nearly all reconstructions commenced and finished in late 2022. As of June 2023, the at-grade crossing reconstructions were complete.[31]
The freight/light rail bridges over channels and washes began in 2021, relocating and building new bridges to facilitate the freight and the A Line (then known as the L Line). These bridges were the first to finish as they didn't impact vehicular traffic. The light rail bridges, crossing major streets, began briefly. As required by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the light rail crossing at Foothill Blvd, Route 66, Lone Hill Blvd, and Bonita/Cataract Ave needed to be grade-separated (light rail only) with a flyover bridge. Those bridges feature the neighborhood's citrus design and includes local artwork. All of these components were complete by June 2023.[32]
The more complex component was the freight track relocation. The freight originally existed in the middle of the corridor, leaving no room for the light rail extension. To create space, the construction authority relocated it to the north side (south side west of Lone Hill Blvd) of the alignment. It was complete by October 2022.[33] With the relocation work finished, crews began work on the light rail system by installing the overhead line, train control systems, and the light rail track. On June 24, 2023, an event held in La Verne culminated in the installation of the 230,630th rail clip (rail clips permanently attach the steel rail to the concrete railroad ties), officially completing major construction for the new light rail tracks from Glendora to Pomona.[34]
The extension to Pomona reached substantial completion on January 3, 2025. Following this, Foothill Gold Line transferred ownership of the segment to Metro, who is currently conducting pre-revenue testing along the segment.[3] Pre-revenue testing will last through August 2025, with the extension expected to open around that time or later in the summer.[4]
Proposed extension to Ontario International Airport
In 2006, when the city of Ontario joined the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, city leaders pushed to further extend the line to Ontario International Airport.[22]
On March 9, 2009, the city passed a resolution affirming their support for this extension. The extension would be 7.5 miles (12.1 km) in length.[35]
Studies
In 2008, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority commissioned a study by KOA Corporation to determine the feasibility of such an extension, which they dubbed "Phase 2C."[36] The study found the extension would be feasible and provided several alignment alternatives. The extension would be between 7 miles (11 km) and 15 miles (24 km) and add up to four new stations, depending on the chosen alignment.[37]
Both state legislators presented their bills to the SBCTA board of directors at the March 7, 2020, board meeting. The board voted to oppose both bills and passed a motion reasserting itself as the sole authority to plan, design, and build new mass transit projects in San Bernardino County.[42] Despite this, both bills were supported by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority.[43]
Neither bill was able to pass the state legislature. On May 18, 2020, the SBCTA ceased negotiations on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the extension, following Holden committing against further action on his legislative proposal, killing these attempts at the project.[44]
Initially, The Boring Company proposed constructing a single 2.8-mile (4.5 km) tunnel similar to the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop that would cost $60 million.[45] However, the company eventually dropped out of the project because they refused to submit another refined proposal.[47]
Despite this, the SBCTA moved forward with plans on the project.[48] The new plans for the project include two 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tunnels that will cost roughly $492 million.[49] The SBCTA selected HNTB as their new contractor to design, build, and maintain the project.[50]
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