Metro’s A Line is already the longest light rail in the country, and this Friday, it’s getting even longer.
After years of planning, permitting and construction, the public-transit extension into the San Gabriel Valley officially opens September 19 with new stops in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona. The line now stretches nearly 58 miles, offering easier commutes, fewer cars on the 210 and hopefully lighter traffic for communities long underserved by rail.
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The $1.5-billion project is no small feat. Overseen by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, the new stations are part of a 9.1-mile build that has been underway since 2020. (A stop in Claremont is still in the works, though an expansion to Montclair is now up in the air.) Though 1/5 of the population of L.A. County resides in the San Gabriel Valley, it’s the first time these four cities will be connected by rail since 1951, when the Pacific Electric Railway ceased operations in the midst of freeway construction.
Starting Friday, the full A Line will feature connect 48 stations running from Long Beach through downtown L.A., up through Northeast Los Angeles and Pasadena, and into the San Gabriel Valley. Service will also be more frequent: Trains during peak weekday hours will run every eight minutes, every 10 minutes during off-peak hours on weekdays and daytime hours on weekends, and every 20 minutes late at night.
A free community event will follow a press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Star Trek and Big Bang Theory actor Wil Wheaton on Friday. Rock the Rails will give community members a chance to travel on the trains to check out all the new stations amid DJ sets, live music from local bands and San Gabriel Valley food trucks from 11:30am to 3pm. The fun kicks off at the A Line’s new terminus, the Pomona North Station (241 Santa Fe St). And Metro is further celebrating by offering riders free fare across the rail, bus, bike and Micro lines from 4am Friday though 3am Monday.
The expansion is the ninth completed project in Metro’s ambitious Twenty-Eight by ’28 plan (the eighth was the much-anticipated LAX/Metro Transit Center, which opened in June). The initiative aims to provide more transit options and is prioritizing projects that will improve connectivity to major sports venues—including the Fairplex near the La Verne Station, where the Olympic cricket competition will be held—before the city’s upcoming “car-free” Olympics. Visitors to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl and, of course, the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games will all benefit.
In the meantime, the extension is particularly significant for commuters and students. There are 19 colleges and universities along the new route, including Cal Poly Pomona and the Claremont Colleges, so this should ease both parking headaches and transit reliability concerns. And for anyone living, working or exploring east of Azusa, this weekend’s extension is a major win. More stations mean more options, less traffic stress and greater connectivity across a region that has long needed it. L.A. rarely sees transit projects of this scale arrive on time, making this milestone one to celebrate.
Whether you’re commuting, running errands or planning a weekend adventure, the extended A Line is ready to carry the city a little farther—and a little faster—into the future.