Light-rail testing underway on Foothill Gold Line extension from Azusa to Pomona

LA VERNE, Calif. (KABC) -- After years of construction, a billion-dollar extension of the L.A. Metro A-Line is now testing light rail trains on a 9.1-mile addition that will extend the line from Azusa to Pomona, with stops at Glendora, La Verne and San Dimas.

Daytime testing will continue through the end of this week, with nighttime testing scheduled to run through the end of 2024.

Foothill Gold Line CEO Habib Balian said if everything goes as planned, Metro could begin passenger service on the extension sometime in summer of 2025.

"This is great. I mean this is what you wait for," said Balian during the testing of one of the light rail trains through a section of track in La Verne.

"You go through a long process to get a project environmentally cleared, and then get it funded, and you get to the point where you see a billion dollars' worth of construction and then you see this."

The existing Metro A-Line extends as far east as Azusa. The Foothill Gold Line project will extend the line all the way out to Pomona.

"The current line terminates at Citrus College, a great distance from here," said Balian. "This extends the line 9.1 miles, providing four new stations, so folks coming from all different directions east of that now have the opportunity of getting on the line much closer than they would have."

Balian said residents and commuters should expect additional law enforcement in the area to help people adjust to the new crossing gates along the tracks, which up until now have only been used for freight trains.

By the time the project is completed light rail trains will be passing through the area approximately every eight minutes.

Balian said the extension of the Metro A Line will provide yet another option for commuters trying to avoid crowded freeways.

"You never know really what's going to happen when you get on the freeway; if it's raining, or if there's an accident. It will delay you an hour sometimes, so this is a good reliable means of transportation."

Further extension of the Foothill Gold Line east to Montclair is currently being funded, with construction expected to begin sometime next year.