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6/27/2025
Rail News: Passenger Rail
Foothill Gold authority issues new RFP for light-rail extension project

The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority yesterday issued the first of two requests for proposals (RFPs) to deliver the final project light-rail segment from Pomona to Montclair in Southern California.
The RFP was issued to hire a team to complete the design/engineering services for the final 3.3-mile, two-station segment, which includes the Claremont and Montclair stations, the authority's CEO Habib Balian said in a newsletter issued yesterday.
In late March, the authority's board directed staff to pursue a new plan to deliver the final project segment after the single design-build bid received was 54% higher than the agency’s most conservative cost estimate for the project. Despite making dozens of changes to reduce costs, engineering firm Kiewit’s final bid for the project was hundreds of millions of dollars above what the authority had estimated.
The new delivery method, called construction manager at risk, involves hiring a design/engineering team first, before hiring a separate construction manager team, Balian said in the newsletter.
"The two teams ultimately work closely together to ensure the design for the project is constructable and as efficient as possible; but the design/engineering team is responsible for delivering a fully engineered project that is approved for construction," he wrote.
The RFP issued yesterday is the first step in that procurement process. The RFP for the CMAR is expected to be issued in October; an award of the design/engineering services contract is expected in November, he said.
Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.