The opening of the Gold Line from Azusa to Pomona took place today, extending by 9.1 miles the premier light rail commuting system in the United States. That breakthrough came just 22 days after San Bernardino County’s public transportation agency walked away from the prospect of expanding the railway into its jurisdiction.
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and its predecessor, San Bernardino Associated Governments was twice in the last decade committed to seeing the Gold Line extended eastward, conceptually all the way to Yucaipa. Twice, however, its members opted out of constructing the dual-track transportation system, ostensibly on the basis of the undertaking’s exceptionally high cost.