The agencies agreed on a plan Friday that would build a barrier wall to protect the track and potentially allow limited passenger service to resume
ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority and Metrolink today announced that the project team will move forward with plans to build a barrier wall to protect tracks from sliding land in San Clemente near the Mariposa pedestrian bridge (Milepost 204.2).
The OCTA and Metrolink decision to build a barrier wall – which comes a day after the State declared an official emergency – was made in consultation with the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), BNSF, and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which operates the popular Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service through the area.
The collective goal of all agencies is to protect the vital rail line and safely restore passenger rail service through San Clemente as soon as possible.
The path forward could include restoring limited passenger rail service during construction of the wall, but no timeline for letting passenger trains run again has been determined at this point. The safety of passengers, as always, will guide that decision.
BNSF will continue operating limited freight rail traffic through the area at 10 mph during overnight hours.
“I’m tremendously appreciative to all of our partnering rail agencies and, of course, to the state, for the partnership and working together to deal with the emergency and pursue a solution to restore service,” said OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson. “We all know how vital this rail line is for Orange County and for the region.”
Earlier in the week, in response to a letter from CEO Johnson, Caltrans declared an official emergency, clearing the way for up to $10 million in funding to address the emergency. Details on the scope of work for the barrier wall, approvals and funding still need to be finalized. But the mutual agreement on building a barrier wall provides clarity on the path forward and will help expedite the process.
“As we have faced these challenges along the San Clemente coastline, I appreciate the collaborative efforts of Metrolink, OCTA, BNSF, LOSSAN, the State of California, and local officials,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said. “The hard work and expertise of the project team is truly astounding to ensure safe rail travel.”
This most recent rail closure in San Clemente is the fifth time in the last three years passenger rail service has been forced to stop because of eroding bluffs in San Clemente pushing toward the LOSSAN rail line.
OCTA is currently leading an effort to study solutions for protecting the track through about 7 miles of coastal Orange County for the next 30 years. At the same time, OCTA is working with local, state and federal partners to study longer-term solutions to protect the track for generations to come.
At the emergency site near Mariposa Point, crews continue to monitor and inspect the slope and hillside. Soil movement has slowed significantly since the Jan. 24 slide but continues.
The emergency work area and the private slope above have been covered with plastic tarps and drainage improvements have been made to try to prevent further soil movement, especially with more heavy rain expected. Crews will remain on site throughout the impending storms.
For Updates on Rail Service: Passengers are asked to check MetrolinkTrains.com and PacificSurfliner.com/Alerts for real-time updates.
Background: The rail line was closed through San Clemente the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 24, when a landslide on private property above the city-owned Mariposa Trail Pedestrian Bridge caused major damage to the bridge and scattered debris onto the track.
OCTA, which owns the track, worked with partners at Metrolink and contractors to quickly mobilize emergency crews, who used heavy machinery on the rails to remove debris and haul away two large spans of the bridge, each weighing 24,000 pounds.
Over the past three years, San Clemente’s eroding bluffs – on both city and private property – have repeatedly forced the closure of the rail line which has operated largely uninterrupted for more than 125 years. For more updates and background, visit www.octa.net/railupdates.
