After years of construction, the nine-mile, $1.5-billion extension of Metro's A Line from Azusa to Pomona is set to begin serving passengers on September 19. But hopes of pushing what is already the world's longest light rail line farther east were dealt a setback last week.

On September 3, Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority chief executive officer Habib Balian announced that the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority's (SBCTA) board of directors has voted to discontinue negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the Construction Authority, which means that an extension to Montclair is now off the table. SBCTA had been holding $37 million in local funding to complete work for the stretch of the project corridor located within San Bernardino County.

The loss of SBCTA's cooperation means that the planned 3.2-mile extension would be cut short in Claremont, which sits at the far east end of Los Angeles County. The extension to Claremont and Montclair had originally been included in the currently under-construction project, but was postponed as construction costs swelled beyond what was available in funding at the time. In 2023, state transportation officials announced the release of $500 million in previously frozen funds for the extension, which would have made for the first Metro rail line to extend out of Los Angeles County boundaries.

"While it is not the end of the line for the Gold Line to reach Montclair, today’s vote was a significant setback, as it results in the Montclair extension not moving forward simultaneously with the Claremont portion of the final project segment. In the coming weeks, the Construction Authority staff and board will discuss next steps," writes Balian.

When the current extension opens, the A Line the will span 58 miles between Pomona and Downtown Long Beach. In the past, Foothill Gold Line officials and other local elected officers had looked to extend the A Line past Montclair to eventually reach Ontario Airport. 

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