Los Angeles Metro’s A Line, also known as the Blue Line, has served millions of Angelenos since it was built in 1990. But did you know that in 2023, it broke the record for being the longest light rail line in the world? With 44 stops spanning the 48.5 miles between Azusa and Long Beach, the A Line is quite a technical achievement in L.A.’s massive public transport system. And if you’re looking for a route to Pomona, you’re in luck, because Metro is adding four new stops this summer.
Originally known as the Blue Line when it was built in 1990, many longtime riders still refer to the A Line by its former name. It first ran between Downtown L.A. and Long Beach, undergoing numerous additions and upgrades over the next three decades. In 2014, the Regional Transit Connector project added a tunnel to DTLA, creating a new connection from the A Line to the L Line.
By 2023, the A Line incorporated the L Line’s former Union Station-Pasadena-Azusa service and added more stations around the tunnel. This is how L.A. Metro became the longest light rail line in the world at 48.5 miles—surpassing Belgium’s 42-mile Coast Tram.
The A Line carries about 15 million riders each year with a 2-hour journey from Downtown Long Beach to Azusa. Starting in Long Beach, the route heads north through South L.A., entering Downtown L.A. at Pico before reaching Union Station. From there, it turns north up to Pasadena, crosses the San Gabriel Valley, and finally reaches its northern terminus at APU/Citrus College in Azusa.
And after all that travel, it’s still not done expanding, because the Foothill Extension project is well underway. The $1.5 billion first phase extends the A Line from Azusa with a 9.1-mile segment adding four new stations (Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona-North). This section will begin passenger service this summer—exact opening date TBA. Two more stations (Claremont and Montclair) will be added by 2030, stretching the A Line to a total of 58 miles in length.
Los Angeles is in the midst of numerous large-scale public transportation projects ahead of the Olympics, including LAX’s new Metro Transit Center, the new D Line extension, and the recently scaled-down Inglewood Transit Connector. Stay tuned as we learn more about how the city’s public infrastructure landscape may change by 2028.