The Foothill Gold Line is scheduled to make its way through San Dimas by 2025, creating a new San Dimas Gold Line Station and raising a number of questions for local residents. The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority will provide construction updates and address community members’ questions about the project during a free, virtual community meeting on Wednesday, May 19 at 6 p.m.
The San Dimas Gold Line Station will provide residents with access to the LA Metro ‘L’ Line, a growing light rail network across Los Angeles County. The station will be located on San Dimas Avenue near Commercial Street (behind the CVS plaza). Once completed, the transit line will allow individuals from San Dimas to travel to Pasadena in approximately 27 minutes and Downtown Los Angeles in roughly 56 minutes.
San Dimas is one of four cities in the San Gabriel Valley where fully-funded stations are currently in development. The four stations along the 9.1-mile extension will be located in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona.
Previously-planned stations in Claremont and Montclair, however, do not have full funding to be completed at this time. Lisa Levy Buch, a spokesperson for the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, which is overseeing the project, said that there is less money available due to the pandemic.
“Right now, it’s not looking real good for that because of COVID Money has been very tight, as you can imagine,” Levy Buch said. The Foothill Gold Line project needs to come up with $450 million by October of 2021 to fund the Claremont and Montclair stations, which would push the entire project back to 2028.
Your Questions
We know San Dimas residents have many questions about the Gold Line station. What does mass transit mean for the San Dimas community, and how will it affect you? What streets will be closed during construction, and what is the best detour? When will the station open? What are the benefits of the station or alternative transportation?
To get the conversation started, we have posed some of these questions to residents through a series of polls on our San Dimas Community Post Instagram account. This is what you have shared with us so far.
Safety/Crime and Alternative Transportation
Having access to alternative transportation options and concerns about safety and crime were top of mind for locals who responded to our polls.
Of all respondents:
- 42.4% said they were interested in alternative transportation options
- 30% said they were interested in issues pertaining to safety and crime
- 21.2% said they were interested in the environmental impact
- 6.1% said they were interested in the impact on the economy
How Will You Use the Foothill Gold Line?
We have also been asking San Dimas residents how they plan to use the new neighborhood light rail. Even though the first ride won’t take place until 2025, we figure it is never too early to plan your trip. Here is what you said:
- Very few respondents said they expect to use the Foothill Gold Line on a daily basis, but one-third said they would likely ride it weekly or monthly. Another 40% said they will use it at least once a year, while one in five respondents said they will never use it.
- More people than ever are working remotely, so it is perhaps not surprising that less than 20% of respondents expected to use the Gold Line for their work commute. A much larger share said they will use the Gold Line “for convenience” (71%) and “for fun” (89%).
Test Your Knowledge!
Visit the Gold Line Feature section of our website to take our quiz and see how much you know about the Foothill Gold Line.
The San Dimas Community Post will publish ongoing articles about the Gold Line’s progression and other events related to the project.
To learn more about the San Dimas Gold Line Station’s development, follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, and take a look at our Gold Line page.
