Planned completion of initial emergency project allows for scheduled resumption of safe passenger service; updated schedules at pacificsurfliner.com/alerts and metrolinktrains.com/service-updates
ORANGE – Passenger rail service, including Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, is scheduled to fully and safely resume through South Orange County on Saturday, June 7, following the planned completion of construction of the initial phase of emergency efforts to reinforce the most vulnerable areas along the rail line in San Clemente.
As Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner make plans to resume normal schedules, passengers are asked to check for the latest service updates at pacificsurfliner.com/alerts and metrolinktrains.com/service-updates.
Construction – led by the Orange County Transportation Authority in partnership with Metrolink – has continued daily since the work began in late April, allowing passenger service to open slightly ahead of the initial schedule.
Crews finished strategically placing large boulders, also known as riprap, throughout the project areas, totaling approximately 5,900 tons of riprap to protect the track.
The rock was sorted and placed primarily within the area where riprap previously existed to protect against coastal erosion. Approximately 240,000 cubic yards of sand will also be placed on the beach in Areas 1 and 2 between Mariposa Point and North Beach.
Crews continue preparing the track to safely resume passenger service, including demobilizing equipment, clearing construction staging areas, testing rail signals, and resurfacing and inspecting the track.
The ongoing work will continue daily, primarily between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., though some nighttime work may also occur prior to the June 7 reopening.
Construction – led by the Orange County Transportation Authority in partnership with Metrolink – has continued daily since the work began in late April, allowing passenger service to open slightly ahead of the initial schedule.
Crews finished strategically placing large boulders, also known as riprap, throughout the project areas, totaling approximately 5,900 tons of riprap to protect the track.
The rock was sorted and placed primarily within the area where riprap previously existed to protect against coastal erosion. Approximately 240,000 cubic yards of sand will also be placed on the beach in Areas 1 and 2 between Mariposa Point and North Beach.
Crews continue preparing the track to safely resume passenger service, including demobilizing equipment, clearing construction staging areas, testing rail signals, and resurfacing and inspecting the track.
The ongoing work will continue daily, primarily between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., though some nighttime work may also occur prior to the June 7 reopening.
Pedestrians and others traveling through the area near the rail line are asked to remember that trains will be running again soon and to be extra cautious around the tracks, crossing only at designated pedestrian and road crossings – always stay off the tracks.
The project team is also finishing the placement of large temporary concrete barriers between the track and the inland bluff in Area 3 to create a safe workspace for crews to build an approximately 1,400-foot-long catchment wall in the coming months.
The wall construction schedule is still being determined but is anticipated to occur mostly behind those barriers to limit further disruption to passenger rail service.
Background:
Passenger rail service through San Clemente was suspended beginning April 28 to allow for crews to safely conduct emergency work to reinforce sections of track at immediate risk from landslides and coastal erosion.
The rail line was expected to be shut down for passenger service for a total of approximately six weeks. OCTA, in coordination with Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, is taking action to protect the only coastal rail link between San Diego and Orange counties, following continued threats from the privately owned bluffs and from coastal erosion and storm surges.
Over the past four years, San Clemente’s eroding bluffs – on both city and private property – have repeatedly forced the closure of the rail line that has operated largely uninterrupted for more than 125 years.
For the latest on the project, visit www.octa.net/railemergency.
OCTA submitted an emergency Coastal Development Permit application to the Coastal Commission that was partially approved in April. Additional work was approved on May 7. The total package of projects is estimated to cost approximately $300 million. The project components consist of 95% sand and 5% armoring.
The current work in Areas 1 and 2, estimated to cost approximately $10 million, is underway, utilizing an emergency authorization from the California Coastal Commission.
