The world's longest light rail line has grown again.

At a ceremony on September 19, Metro officials marked the formal completion of the A Line's extension to Pomona. The $1.5-billion project pushed the A Line nine miles eastward from Azusa, with new stops in Glendora, San Dimas, and La Verne, and Pomona. The project also included new bridges, sound walls, fencing, park-and-ride facilities, and other infrastructure improvements.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the A Line extension to PomonaMetro

“The A Line will connect Angelenos to a wealth of destinations from the foothills to the beaches,” said Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra in a statement. “Now more Eastern San Gabriel Valley residents can take Metro rail to cities like Pasadena, Downtown LA, South LA and Long Beach, boosting mobility in communities that haven’t been served by rail for decades.”

With completion of the Pomona extension, the A Line now spans approximately 58 miles between Long Beach and Pomona and has a total of 44 stops. Expected travel times between Union Station and stations in Glendora and Pomona are expected to range from 52 to 64 minutes - a car trip that would take up to one-and-a-half hours during rush hour, according to Metro. Trains will run at eight-minute intervals during peak hours, at 10-minute intervals during off-peak hours, and every 20 minutes during late nights.

The rail line should prove useful during the 2028 Olympics, when cricket is played at the Pomona Fairplex. Likewise, the extension provides a transfer to the Metrolink San Bernardino Line, providing passenger rail service into the Inland Empire.

Grand opening of the A Line extension to PomonaMetro

Plans for a further extension of the A Line were recently thrown into flux with the news that the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority would discontinue working with the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority on an agreement to take the extension as far as Montclair. Given that change, the next extension of the A Line will be cut short in Claremont.

Metro may not be done with ribbon cuttings this year. On the opposite side of Los Angeles County, work is also proceeding on the D Line's extension to the Westside. The first phase, terminating at Wilshire/La Cienega Station in Beverly Hills, is expected to open in 2025.

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