The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?

In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

1 minute read

May 15, 2025, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Yellow and silver light rain train in downtown Long Beach, California.

Walter Cicchetti / Adobe Stock

When you think of the longest light rail line on earth, Los Angeles may not be the first location that comes to mind — yet that’s exactly what the City of Angels boasts with its A Line, a 48.5-mile rail line with 44 stops that runs from Long Beach to Azusa.

As Jamie Ferrell explains in Secret Los Angeles, the line broke the record in 2023, when the Regional Connector project created more seamless connections in the region’s rail system.

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.

The route will get even longer soon: the Foothill Extension project will extend the line to Pomona, and eventually Claremont and Montclair for a total of 58 miles.

Sunday, May 11, 2025 in Secret Los Angeles

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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