Claremont
Montclair TransCenter is the westernmost stop in San Bernardino County on the San Bernardino Line, just over the border from Los Angeles County and. The $1.8 million station opened as a one stop extension from Claremont on February 22, 1993 and was the terminus for 3 months until service was extended to San Bernardino in May of that year. The station is the planned terminus of the Gold Line Foothill Phase 2 Extension scheduled to arrive in 2026, although the portion of the light rail line along the Metrolink tracks beyond Pomona is not fully funded, and won’t be built if additional funding isn’t found by 2021. The Gold Line is planned to stop just north of the Metrolink tracks and platforms (don’t fully know how this will affect the bus loop) with no other additions planned since there is already plenty of parking. The station is a major bus transfer point and is served by Omnitrans and Foothill Transit local buses, plus is the terminus of the Silver Streak Express bus that provides 24 hour, 7 stop service to Downtown Los Angeles via the I-10 freeway. The Riverside Transit Agency has bus service to Downtown Riverside
The station consists of two side platforms for the two track Metrolink line. These are a bit west of the underpass of Monte Vista Avenue. The line returns to a single track just east of the station, the double-tracking extends west from this station all the way until just after Pomona.
The two platforms are connected by a pedestrian tunnel at their western ends, with entry provided by a ramp and stairs. The tunnel provides the only exit on and off the south platform, for Track 2. A number of transit adjacent development townhomes have been built just south of this platform, but the only way to get to the station for these residents is a half-mile, 10 minute walk via Monte Vista Avenue. Perhaps a gate that residents could use with a code or keycard to get on and off the rail platform could be an option for direction station access.
The south platform is completely exposed except for a single canopy structure on the wheelchair ramp at its western end; the opposite end of the platform from the tunnel. The track 1 platform's wheelchair ramp is across from it, and has an identical canopy.
The north track 1 platform is quite wide because it's primarily shared with the Montclair TransCenter. This Montclair TransCenter is a very large bus loop. This begins at Richton Street north of the station before turning the west near the train tracks and ends at a wide bus turn around circle (the loop is a dead end). The bus loop has approximately 13 bus bays, with 5 along the rail platform. The turnaround circle is surrounded by a large circular sculpture, the flying 'M' sculpture which consists of maroon and teal triangles held up by white tiled columns. A fence runs between the lanes of the bus loop so pedestrians can only cross the bus loop where it turns or at the Richton Street light.
The bus loop has 9 large canopy structures with benches between them, 4 of which are ‘shared’ with the rail platform, which, other than the canopies on the wheelchair ramps are the only shelter for waiting rail passengers. These canopy structures have gabled roofs with white tiling, held up by columns also tiled in white with marron, black and teal accents. The sides of the shelter roofs are tiled white with Montclair text beneath a maroon and teal logo that looks like two interlocking (one marron, and one teal) boomerangs that look like two 'Ms.'
On each side of the bus loop and across Richton Street from the station are numerous parking lots, with 1,600 spaces in total. This is the largest number of parking spaces on the San Bernardino Line. The lots are so large that the State of California Department of Transportation is responsible for maintenance. Behind the bus loop is a greenspace that looks like its been reserved for the possible building of a Transit Oriented Development that will not impact the parking lots. There is one development here. It is between the bus loop turnaround (the flying 'M' sculpture) and Richton Street. The station’s unique design extends to the day care center with ‘Kids Station’ in gold lettering beneath the boomerang logo on a canopy over the entrance. There is also a small non-public playground.
Photos 1-47 taken on January 19, 2014
