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