The head of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority stunned his board of directors this month by recommending the agency withdraw its commitment to bringing the Gold Line light-rail into Montclair.

At the end of a Sept. 4 governing board meeting, SBCTA Executive Director Ray Wolfe said he would rather pursue “another alternative” rather than bring the first light-rail into the Inland Empire from Los Angeles County as had been planned for more than a decade.

“I’m going to come back to you through committee next month and hopefully to the board in November with a recommendation that we throw in the towel,” he announced to the board during remarks he made at the very end of the meeting.

Shakeup felt across counties

The sudden announcement sent ripples through the west end of San Bernardino County and eastern Los Angeles County and will continue to raise questions about the future of rail transportation in the Inland Empire for at least the next two months.

At the meeting last week, Wolfe went on to talk about the cost of building out the line 3.3 miles from Pomona – first to Claremont and ending in Montclair across the LA/San Bernardino county line. The Gold Line Construction Authority says the total cost is about $450 million to go from north Pomona into Claremont. Getting from the county line to Montclair would cost about $96 million. Wolfe intimated that these costs were too high and said he would push for building an alternative rail project that would be “much more cost-effective” and that the monies earmarked for extension of the Gold Line into San Bernardino County would be re-prioritized for other purposes.

“I think it is time for us to start to make some tough decisions on a project that has been a challenge for many years,” he told the board.

Montclair fights for Gold Line

Montclair Mayor John Dutrey objected to the announcement and was the only board member to speak before the meeting was quickly adjourned. Since the item was not on the agenda, a discussion would violate state open meeting laws, said Chairwoman Darcy McNaboe, mayor of Grand Terrace.

Dutrey countered that he strongly disagreed with ending support for the Gold Line extension to Montclair. He pointed out that the SBCTA is not being asked to pay more money for its leg into Montclair so its objection is unfounded. In an interview Thursday, Sept. 12, Dutrey said the cities of the San Gabriel Valley, Claremont, Montclair and numerous area lawmakers will lobby the state for the additional money to build the line to Claremont and that the SBCTA is equipped to fund the line from the county line into the Montclair Transcenter.

The Gold Line Construction Authority is building the line to Pomona. But it has a two-year window in its construction contract to continue the line if the agency can come up with the money. The SBCTA has obtained about $80 million for the final leg to Montclair — about $15 million short, according to the agency.

“I am very disappointed in (Wolfe’s) comments,” Dutrey said. “I’m not sure why he wants to ‘throw in the towel’ when no additional money is being asked of the SBCTA.”

Montclair has been preparing for the arrival of the Gold Line for 15 years, Dutrey said. The city has seen 500 new residential units built recently, with 200 more under construction around a future Gold Line station and another 500 planned for the next several years, he said.

“We’ve developed a smart land-use policy under the assumption that the Gold Line will come to Montclair,” he added.

He called Wolfe’s actions premature, saying it makes more sense to wait until the agencies involved can close the gap in funding. If after two years that doesn’t happen, he recommends trying for a lower priced contract to build the Gold Line the next 3.3 miles.

Likewise, Claremont officials, along with Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, support bringing the Gold Line to Pomona and beyond. This would extend the light-rail alongside a heavy-rail commuter line operated by Metrolink, the first time such a dual service would be offered outside of Union Station in Los Angeles.

Claremont likes multi-modal

The SBCTA has expressed concerns that if the Gold Line — a low-cost service — would come into Montclair, it could reduce ridership or even reduce the number of Metrolink trains along the San Bernardino line into Los Angeles, depleting service used by easterly county passengers.

Claremont Councilman Ed Reece said the two transit operations would serve different populations. Metrolink would be used by passengers needing a more direct route into Los Angeles. The Gold Line goes along the foothills, serving passengers who work at City of Hope in Duarte and at companies in Pasadena. It also would bring weekend users into Pasadena for dinner and concerts, as well as connect to other light-rail lines for football games and LA venues.

“I am not OK with him ‘throwing in the towel’ on the Gold Line,” Reece said in a Sept. 11 interview. “I think that is a mistake. I am open to adding options to our region.”

Reece said he is not opposed to hearing about other alternatives as long as they are in addition to the Gold line.

What about DMU trains?

One option discussed in the past includes a new kind of train from Montclair to Pomona that would run on existing heavy rail tracks.

The SBCTA has been promoting its Arrow passenger rail service being built to run from San Bernardino to Redlands as a possible alternative to existing commuter rail services in the region. The service, which is expected to start in 2021, will run smaller, cheaper and more fuel-efficient trains called Diesel Multiple Units or DMUs. Unlike the Gold Line, running the diesel trains would not require the construction of new track. But some experts say it may require new train bridges.

McNaboe said she had not heard about any specific alternatives referenced by Wolfe but has faith in the process. “My experience with Ray is he wants the board to look at all the options, at what might be a better solution and have the board make the determination,” she said.

Committee to hear alternatives in October

A staff report will be drawn up and brought to the SBCTA’s Transit Committee at the Oct. 10 meeting, McNaboe said.

“First the Transit Committee will discuss it. They will have a robust discussion,” she predicted. The item could reach the full board in November.

Asked of the significance of Wolfe’s comments, she said: “He put something huge out there.”