A construction project to extend the Metro A Line to a new Claremont station will begin in 2027 and aims to conclude in 2031. Once completed, Metro riders will be able to travel directly from Claremont to Long Beach.
In late 2024, the Los Angeles Metro provided a $798 million grant for construction to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority). The Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning, design and construction agency in Southern California that is spearheading the project. The Construction Authority will demolish the current Claremont Metrolink station to make way for a new Metro station, according to Lisa Levy Buch, chief communications officer at Foothill Gold Line. A date for the demolition has not been finalized.
Buch said that Foothill Gold Line will try to minimize the construction’s impact on the Claremont community as much as possible, and they will work closely with Foothill Transit — the bus provider for the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys — to coordinate detours.
“[The Foothill Gold Line is] planning for [the Metrolink] to continue operating while [they’re] building,” Buch said.
The Claremont Metrolink station — which runs from Union Station in Los Angeles to San Bernardino — on the western side of College Avenue will be replaced by a new Metro station in approximately the same location: east of Indian Hill Boulevard and west of College Avenue. The Metrolink station will then be rebuilt on the eastern side of the street.
The Construction Authority will build the 2.3 mile project in two segments: Pomona to Claremont and Claremont to Montclair. Once complete, four sets of tracks will run through Claremont: two Metrolink and two Metro. According to Buch, the new Metro line will improve connectivity in the San Gabriel Valley region.
“Once completed, a trip from Claremont to Pasadena will take approximately 38 minutes and further to downtown Los Angeles will take approximately 67 minutes,” according to the Foothill Gold Line website. There is currently no direct public transportation route from Claremont to Pasadena.
Several 5C students expressed support for the project, noting the importance of being able to explore the greater LA area beyond Claremont is important to them.
“I think that increased public transportation anywhere is a good idea,” Mateo Chanel PO ’28 said. “It would help get students out of the college bubble.”
Chanel said he relies on public transportation to get around the area, but expressed dissatisfaction and frustration with the current public transportation system. Ellie Urfrig PO ’26 agreed.
“There are so many wonderful resources in the area that I think Claremont College students are eager to take advantage of, and it isn’t so easy to do so always,” Urfrig said.
The city of Claremont has also selected California-based artist Joyce Kohl to create art installations and design the column bases for the station’s platform canopy.
According to the Foothill Gold Line website, Kohl will create a landmark sculpture at the corner of College Avenue and First Street, “inspired by the city’s incredible number of creative people ‘thinking outside the box.’” The art on the columns will feature tiles depicting places and activities unique to Claremont, highlighting the city’s diversity, languages and history.
Urfrig said she is excited about the proposed art features.
“[The planned artwork] helps unify the space and also supports people who are doing neat work in the area,” Urfrig said. “I think it’s commendable for the city to be aware of that and for that to be a priority of theirs.”
Fred Leichter, executive director of the Hive and clinical professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College, said he hopes the sculpture in front of the new station is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
“I love it if stuff is both artistic and functional; it meets a need rather than just being pretty,” Leichter said.
Leichter teaches a class on human-centered design, a “multi-disciplinary approach to impactful problem solving that centers deep understanding of people’s needs to propel innovation,” according to the Hive’s website. Through this lens, he said he hopes the station’s designers take users’ needs into account.
For example, he said the new station should include shady areas and benches, ultra-clear signage, obvious and intuitive payment machines and bicycle access and security.
Chanel said he is hopeful the station will be beneficial for the Claremont community.
“Overall it’s going to be a really great thing. I think that any little hiccups that happen are kind of a side effect of any project like this,” Chanel said. “I’m excited for the students to come who are going to be able to enjoy that.”
The community can sign up for construction updates on foothillgoldline.org.
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