Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTIONS ABOUT RIDING THE METRO GOLD LINE (CURRENTLY REFERRED TO AS THE METRO L LINE)

Questions about how much it costs to ride the Metro Gold Line – currently referred to as the Metro L Line, train schedules, parking fees or any other question related to the operational Metro system should be directed to Los Angeles County Metro (the Construction Authority is a separate government agency from LA Metro):
Metro’s customer relations is available at 1-323-Go Metro (1-323-466-3876) or customerrelations@metro.net. Train schedules and other information are also available at www.metro.net.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY

Is the Construction Authority a department of Los Angeles County Metro?
No. The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is a separate agency from Los Angeles County Metro. The Construction Authority is a single-purpose agency, put in place by the California State Legislature in the late 1990s to plan, design, and construct the Gold Line light rail system from Los Angeles Union Station to Claremont (later extended to Montclair). Los Angeles County Metro is the Transportation Authority for the County of Los Angeles and is responsible for operating and maintaining the Gold Line/L Line and other rail and bus systems throughout the county.

The Construction Authority has already built two of the three Foothill Gold Line segments; Union Station to Pasadena and Pasadena to Azusa; and is currently underway on the third segment from Glendora to Montclair (which will be completed in two phases). Once the Construction Authority has completed construction and testing of each Gold Line segment, the agency turns that segment over to Los Angeles County Metro to operate. Metro is then the responsible agency in perpetuity.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GLENDORA TO MONTCLAIR SEGMENT

When will the Foothill Gold Line from Glendora to Montclair be complete? When can I begin riding?
The project broke ground in December 2017. The first three years of the project were used to relocate and protect strategic utilities, conduct other pre-construction activities, and finalize design. In August 2019, the Kiewit-Parsons Joint Venture (KPJV) team was selected for the main design-build contract for the fully funded project segment from Glendora to Pomona (including stations in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona). KPJV is on schedule to complete the four-station, 9.1-mile project segment to Pomona in early 2025. Once KPJV reaches substantial completion, the project segment gets turned over to LA Metro and LA Metro decides when passenger service starts. Based on past phases, it takes approximately six months from substantial completion for passenger service to start; but the decision is made  by LA Metro.

Importantly, the remaining project segment from Pomona to Montclair, including the Claremont and Montclair stations, is currently unfunded and will need to be built as a separate phase. The Construction Authority is currently seeking the additional funding needed to complete the project to Claremont and Montclair.

Will the Glendora Station open for passenger service first, then the San Dimas Station, etc. (moving east); or will all stations open at one time?
For efficiency of cost and scheduling, the entire project segment will be built altogether and in layers by the design-builder (underground utilities, drainage, communication/systems, street crossings, bridge construction, ballast installation, track installation, etc.), with specialty crews moving from one place to another completing their layer. This process – which includes tens of thousands of work activities – allows the design-builder maximum flexibility to schedule crews and equipment, as well as arrange for needed materials. It results in the entire construction project being completed at the same time.

Once the Construction Authority reaches substantial completion and the line is tested and turned over to LA Metro for pre-revenue service (when new operators are trained on the extension), it will be up to LA Metro to decide how the agency opens the extension for passenger service. It is anticipated that all stations being built will all open at the same time.

Is the Glendora to Montclair segment fully funded?
The entire 12.3-mile, six-station project from Glendora to Montclair is not yet fully funded. The westernmost 9.1-mile, four-station project segment from Glendora to Pomona is fully funded by LA County’s Measure M and State of California greenhouse gas reduction grant funding. That segment began major construction in July 2020 and is on budget and on schedule to be completed in early January 2025. The remaining 3.1-mile, two-station segment from Pomona to Montclair (including the Claremont and Montclair stations) is not yet funded. The Construction Authority continues to seek the funding needed to complete this final project segment, which as of late 2022 is estimated to cost $798 million.

Have the locations of the Glendora to Montclair stations been finalized?
Yes. The locations of the Glendora to Montclair stations were selected by the station-cities and approved as part of the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Glendora to Montclair segment in 2013. Gold Line stations will be located in the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair, and generally located as identified below (to learn more about each station, including the latest site plan, visit the city-station pages:

• The Glendora Station will be located south of the city’s historic downtown, just east of Vermont Avenue.
• The San Dimas Station will be located near the civic center, east of San Dimas Avenue and south of Bonita Avenue.
• The La Verne Station will be located north of Arrow Highway and east of E Street, between the University of La Verne and the Fairplex.
• The Pomona Station will be located west of Garey Avenue and south of Bonita Avenue. It will share a general station area with the existing Pomona North Metrolink Station.
• The Claremont Station will be located approximately where the current Metrolink Station is located today, just west of College Avenue and south of First Street. As part of the Foothill Gold Line project, the Claremont Metrolink Station will be relocated east of College Avenue, nearer to the station parking. NOTE: The Claremont Station is not part of the fully funded project currently under construction.
• The Montclair Station will be located at the Montclair TransCenter, located just east of Monte Vista Avenue and north of Arrow Highway. A dozen bus and rail connections are available at this location. NOTE: The Montclair Station is not part of the fully funded project currently under construction.

Will the future stations have parking?
Yes. All future Gold Line stations will have parking facilities built adjacent to or across the street from the new stations. All station parking facilities are planned to be multi-modal – including bicycle parking, drop-off areas for buses and ride-sharing, along with easy access for pedestrians. At the Pomona Station, parking is anticipated to be shared with Metrolink (as is the case for the currently unfunded future Claremont and Montclair stations); although all operational decisions are made by LA Metro. To view the location of the station parking facilities, click on the site plan of interest: Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona. Site plans for the future (currently unfunded) stations: Claremont and Montclair.

Will the Metrolink Station stay in Claremont?
Yes. However, as part of the currently unfunded project segment from Pomona to Montclair, the Claremont Metrolink Station is planned to be relocated from its current location west of College Avenue to a new location just east of College Avenue (near the future parking facility). This change will take place as part of the Pomona to Montclair phase of construction; which is currently unfunded.

How is the Gold Line different than Metrolink?
The Gold Line light rail system and Metrolink are two different train systems operated by separate agencies and serving different travel markets.

Gold Line trains are light rail vehicles that are powered by electricity and have an overhead catenary system to provide power to the trains. Gold Line trains connect community to community and have stations about every mile. Gold Line trains run about 22-hours a day, with frequent service throughout the day, seven days a week.

Metrolink is an inter-county commuter rail system that serves Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, San Bernardino County and Riverside County. Metrolink trains are heavy rail vehicles, powered by diesel locomotives, that service longer distance trips (mostly for work). They make fewer stops and primarily operate during peak commuting hours in the morning and afternoon/evening, with less frequency during off peak times.

What does it mean that the Gold Line will be in a shared corridor with Metrolink and freight? Will the Gold Line trains use the same tracks as Metrolink and BNSF freight trains?
The Construction Authority will be building the Gold Line within an existing rail corridor that is currently used by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) freight service throughout, and Metrolink service from Cambridge Avenue in Claremont east.

The right of way owned for the rail corridor is approximately 100-feet wide on average; enough room to fit the existing freight and Metrolink tracks and future Gold Line tracks. However, because the existing tracks are currently located in the middle of the rail corridor, they will have to be relocated within the shared corridor to make room for the two new light rail tracks. From the APU/Citrus College Station to Lone Hill Avenue (Glendora) and from Towne Avenue (Pomona) east, the freight and/or Metrolink track(s) will be relocated to the southern portion of the rail corridor and the light rail tracks built on the northern portion. Between Lone Hill Avenue and Towne Avenue, the freight tracks will be relocated to the northern portion and the light rail tracks built on the southern portion. This is to allow BNSF to continue to service existing customers.

Will the Gold Line trains cross intersections at street level or be elevated on bridges?
Grade crossings are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and include at-grade crossings (where the train crosses a street at street level), grade-separated crossings (where the train crosses the street on a bridge and is therefore separated from street traffic) and pedestrian crossings (where pedestrians cross the tracks).  There are about 50 total grade crossings included in the Glendora to Montclair project; about half are at-grade crossings and half are grade-separated crossings.

Over the last few years, the Construction Authority has been working with the CPUC on the project’s grade crossings, studying traffic and safety at each. The CPUC has determined that the project should grade-separate the following intersections (for Gold Line trains only, except where noted otherwise):
• Grand Avenue/Foothill Avenue (Glendora)
• Route 66 (Glendora)
• Lone Hill Avenue (Glendora)
• Bonita Avenue/Cataract Avenue (San Dimas)
• Garey Avenue (Pomona)
• Towne Avenue (Pomona)
• Indian Hill Boulevard (Claremont)
• Monte Vista Avenue (Montclair)

Gold Line trains will cross all other streets at-grade, or at street level, using a new safety gate system that closes off the rail corridor from cars and pedestrians when a train is approaching. All crossings that cross a local street will be improved as part of the project and upgraded with new safety equipment.

How often will the Gold Line trains run?
Los Angeles County Metro is a separate agency from the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. LA Metro operates the Gold Line (currently referred to as the L Line) and will determine the train schedule and frequency once construction is complete and the line is turned over to them for operations.

Today, Metro Gold Line/L Line trains run about 22 hours a day. During the morning and afternoon weekday peak hours, trains run approximately every seven-minutes. On weekends and during off-peak weekday hours, trains run between every 12 to every 20 minutes, depending on the time of day. For more about the current train schedule, please go to www.metro.net or contact Metro’s customer relations team at 1-323-Go Metro.

How long will it take to travel between Montclair and Pasadena? Between Montclair and Los Angeles?
We estimate that a trip between Montclair and downtown Pasadena will take just over 40 minutes, and a trip between Montclair and Los Angeles will take just over an hour.

See the table below for estimates of travel times from Glendora to Montclair segment stations:

* Added travel times are approximate and will be determined by LA Metro.

What temporary and permanent changes should I expect as a resident, worker or business near the new Gold Line corridor as the project is built?
During construction, the community can expect temporary impacts (such as short-term lane closures, extended street closures at street crossings, noise mostly from construction vehicles during limited construction hours, and other construction-related activities). Notices and signage will be used to warn of these temporary conditions.

Permanent changes will also occur due to the project, including safety enhancements at all street crossings (new safety gates, raised medians, red curbing and turn restrictions within 100 feet of the rail corridor at all street crossings), relocation of the freight track within the shared rail corridor to make room for the two new Gold Line tracks, new fencing and walls will be built along the entire rail corridor, and new overhead lines to power the Gold Line system. New light rail bridges (for the Gold Line only) will be built over eight streets (see previous questions for details), and any existing freight bridge will also be relocated. Additionally, the California Public Utilities Commission has required changes to the Pomona North Metrolink Station access from Fulton Road; restricting turns to right-in and right-out in the future. West Ada and Glenwood Avenues in Glendora will be permanently closed at the railroad corridor, as required by the California Public Utilities Commission to improve safety along the corridor, and made into cul-de-sacs, as will Monte Vista Avenue at the railroad corridor in San Dimas. A pedestrian underpass will be built at Monte Vista Ave to allow pedestrian access to and from Bonita Ave.

Is there an extension planned to connect the Gold Line from Montclair to Ontario Airport?
While a connection to Ontario Airport is frequently talked about as the final leg for the Foothill Gold Line, there are currently no plans or funding to move forward with building the segment.

I have questions about the Foothill Gold Line project or upcoming construction. Who can I speak to?

Here is how you can get your questions answered:

By Phone or Email:

The Kiewit-Parsons JV team has a construction hotline and email address for construction-related questions; while general project questions should continue to be sent to the Construction Authority:

Project Construction Questions
Hotline: (626) 513-5788
Email: CommunityRelations@Kiewit-Parsons.com

General Project Questions
Call: (626) 471-9050
Email: PublicAffairs@foothillgoldline.org

In Person:

Construction Authority Headquarters
406 E. Huntington Dr., Suite 202
Monrovia, CA 91016
Office Hours: Mon – Thurs, 9 AM – 4 PM

Construction Public Information Office
2100 E. Route 66, Suite 200
Glendora, CA 91740
Office Hours: Mon – Fri, 8 AM – 4 PM

How can I stay updated on construction?
Receiving progress reports and construction alerts on the Foothill Gold Line is easy. Register online here to begin receiving our project e-newsletter to your email.

Who do I talk to about contracting and job opportunities with the Construction Authority?
Job openings and contracting opportunities will be posted on the website under the Contracting/Jobs tab. Resumes can be sent to NPeterson@foothillgoldline.org.

To register to receive information on upcoming contracting opportunities with the Construction Authority, register here.