SBCTA chooses The Boring Company for light-rail tunnel work

It looks like The Boring Company will be used to shape a light-rail tunnel for the SBCTA.

The Boring Company

Plans for an underground transit loop between the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink station and Ontario International Airport (ONT) in California took a giant step forward when the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) Board authorized negotiations to begin with The Boring Company.

Boring was the only company to respond to a recent Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to build the nearly 4-mile tunnel, which will connect Metrolink’s busiest line with the nation’s fastest-growing airport three years running. The subterranean transit system would shuttle thousands of passengers per day between the Rancho Cucamonga station and ONT using zero-emission vehicles.

The recent action follows last month’s awarding of a contract to HNTB for construction management services. Completion is expected within 48 months.

“The Ontario Airport Loop project represents an innovative, cost-effective and sustainable approach in meeting the mobility needs of one of the most robust population and economic centers in the United States,” said Curt Hagman, chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

It was Hagman’s vision for a tunneling project that led SBCTA to investigate the feasibility of such a project and, ultimately, to issue the RFQ.

SBCTA has projected total costs of the project around $85 million–a fraction of what it would cost to build an above-ground rail or light-rail connection.

“Along with the possibility of higher-speed rail service into the Rancho Cucamonga station, the Loop project provides vital transit connectivity between Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County,” said SBCTA President Frank Navarro, who is the mayor of Colton. He noted that the Rancho Cucamonga station is a hub for Metrolink’s heavily traveled San Bernardino Line, which is about to get another boost with development of the Arrow line between Redlands and the city of San Bernardino. “Creating new connections at Rancho Cucamonga is a win-win for commuters and cities across our region.”

Read more articles on rail tunnels.