The Board’s action aims to accelerate shoreline protection and placement of approximately 690,000 cubic yards of sand ahead of potential El Niño storms
ORANGE –The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Monday declared an emergency along the coastal rail line in San Clemente and authorized immediate steps to help advance shoreline protection and attempt to expedite placement of approximately 690,000 cubic yards of sand to protect the railroad from ongoing erosion and potentially severe fall and winter conditions.
The Board action authorizes OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson to move quickly to secure specialized contractors, materials, marine dredging equipment and sand sources as they become available, attempting to avoid delays that could leave the railroad vulnerable to additional storms and high-wave events.
The action comes after powerful waves and high tides earlier this month overtopped the tracks and caused additional erosion and deterioration of the coastal slope near the railroad. The rail line was temporarily closed to passenger service while crews performed emergency stabilization work.
The latest emergency action focuses on several critical improvements:
- Shoreline protection near San Clemente State Beach: Construct an engineered shoreline protection structure and repair existing riprap along approximately three-quarters of a mile south of San Clemente State Beach where portions of the railroad embankment have limited or no existing protection.
- Large-scale sand placement: Place approximately 690,000 cubic yards of sand. Approximately 240,000 cubic yards is planned between North Beach and Mariposa Point, with approximately 450,000 cubic yards planned south of San Clemente State Beach.
The Board’s action follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Sept. 21 state of emergency proclamation in preparation for the developing 2026-27 El Niño conditions. The proclamation recognized threats to California’s coastline and critical infrastructure and directed state agencies to accelerate preparations for potential flooding and coastal erosion.
“For the past five years, OCTA has taken all possible steps to speed up work to protect this critical link in Southern California’s transportation system and it’s important to acknowledge our Board’s leadership in this effort,” CEO Johnson said. “We also thank Gov. Newsom and our state partners for recognizing this as an emergency that requires strong partnerships and expedited action. We look forward to continuing that collaboration and working with our federal partners on an expedited schedule so we can get the necessary permits to put these protections in place as quickly as possible.”
Securing and delivering sand
The emergency authority allows OCTA to accelerate contracting and procurement, including securing specialized contractors, equipment and materials when available. It does not eliminate environmental review or permitting requirements. OCTA will continue working with the California Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other regulatory agencies to secure necessary approvals.
OCTA has identified Surfside-Sunset as a viable source of beach-compatible sand. The source has been approved by the Southern California Dredged Material Management Team, which includes representatives from federal and state regulatory agencies.
Delivering hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand to vulnerable areas near Cyprus Shore and San Clemente State Beach presents another challenge. With the railroad squeezed between the bluff and ocean and limited access from land, large-scale sand placement requires specialized marine dredging equipment capable of transporting sand to the site and pumping it ashore.
The number of large, U.S.-qualified hopper dredges capable of such work is limited, and many are committed to major projects around the country months in advance. That limited availability is one reason OCTA is moving now to advance design, permitting and contracting simultaneously, providing greater flexibility to secure appropriate equipment and move forward when a work window becomes available.
Decades of passenger and freight rail service
The coastal railroad through San Clemente is part of the 351-mile Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo, or LOSSAN, Rail Corridor and carries Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passenger trains, as well as freight and military transportation.
Since 2021, rail operations through San Clemente have been interrupted multiple times because of coastal bluff failures, beach loss, erosion of the railroad embankment and deterioration of shoreline protection. OCTA has responded with a series of emergency projects, including riprap repairs, sand placement and construction of catchment walls at Mariposa Point and near the San Clemente Pier to protect the railroad from bluff failures and restore the adjacent pedestrian trail.
OCTA has secured more than $300 million in state and federal funding for coastal rail stabilization, including $125 million through the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, $80 million through the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program and $100 million through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.
The emergency projects are part of OCTA’s broader effort to protect the existing rail line while planning for the corridor’s future. OCTA has finalized its Coastal Rail Resiliency Study, which evaluates strategies to protect approximately 7 miles of the coastal rail corridor through Dana Point and San Clemente for up to the next 30 years. A separate state-led effort is expected to launch to examine longer-term solutions beyond that timeframe.
OCTA staff will return to the Board regularly to report on the status of the emergency work as contracting, permitting and construction move forward.
For additional information about OCTA’s efforts to protect the coastal rail line, visit octa.net/railupdates.
