The Foothill Gold Line groundbreaking ceremony kicked off construction on Dec. 2 at Citrus College for the connection of six new light rail stations that will be added to the Metro Gold Line.
The Gold Line will expand through the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair. The estimated year of completion is 2026.
“We decided to come help support this groundbreaking ceremony and how much it will help the city and college,” James Ana, the program director of the Montclair High School band and color guard, said.
A connection from Los Angeles County to East San Gabriel Valley will be available.
The plan is to bring more people from Los Angeles to visit cities, such as Glendora, as opposed to people visiting Los Angeles.
Glendora Mayor Gary Boyer said the plan is to bring more people together and create a bigger diversity in the community.
Stig Lanesskog, the chief executive of the Claremont University Consortium, said students would be able to grab opportunities outside of school, like volunteering, social outreach, internship opportunities, job opportunities and opportunities for students who do not have cars at their disposal.
“It will provide additional access to Claremont students and help add to their college experience,” Lanesskog said.
The Gold Line extension will allow the San Gabriel Valley more access to Downtown Los Angeles.
Boyer said he hopes to have the new Gold Line benefit some of the shops in Glendora and help economic assets for the city, like the Glendora Village.
“The Ceremony is just a ceremony celebrating the official groundbreaking,” Boyer said. “It’s part of history and think of this, 50 to 60 years from now the Gold Line will still be transporting people.”
According to the City of Glendora’s website, the regional project was funded by Measure M and Measure R in Los Angeles County, along with San Bernardino County funds to extend the line to Montclair.
“It allows underserved communities who may not have a vehicle to still get job placement,” said Kyle Miller, a city council member of Glendora.
In the future, there are plans for the Gold Line to extend to and connect all through Southern California.
Getting to places will be easier and the people of Glendora will have more access to travel with the opportunity to ride the Gold Line.
“As we look into the future, there is a bigger need for public transportation,” Boyer said.
