The Claremont Metrolink station was formally saved Thursday, after approval of the consent calendar by the Metro board of directors.

Metro’s recommendation to keep the Claremont station open passed unanimously during its board of directors meeting in Los Angeles.

The recommendation was on the consent calendar, meaning it was considered “non-controversial,” and passed along with a group of other items with the same designation.

The action bookends months of speculation about the future of the station, ever since a motion co-authored by LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis in September initiated a 60-day study looking at the pros and cons of possibly eliminating the station as part of the Gold Line construction.

Ms. Solis commented briefly at Thursday’s meeting, thanking Claremonters in attendance. “Thank you for your hard work,” she said.

The motion caught much of the city by surprise. At a December town hall meeting with representatives from Metro, Metrolink and the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority present, hundreds of Claremonters voiced support for keeping the station.

During last week’s planning and programming committee meeting, nearly 70 residents took the train to show support for the recommendation. More than 20 residents spoke during public comment, imploring the committee to save the station.

The study revealed how many riders use the Claremont station as a destination point, the relatively high number of riders who walk or bike to the station and the lack of time saved by Metrolink if the station were eliminated.

If the station was taken out, the Construction Authority would save around $40 million, a fraction of the nearly $300 million shortfall the project is currently facing.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com