The coastal rail linking Orange and San Diego counties is expected to resume service next month after crews spent nearly six weeks reinforcing tracks that were subject to landslides and coastal erosion.
Service on the oceanside rail — which extends from Dana Point in south Orange County to the southernmost stops in San Diego County, including San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside — is set to resume June 7, according to an Orange County Transportation Authority update. The rail line, which serves Metrolink’s commuter trains and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, was closed in April to begin construction.
The California Coastal Commission approved emergency construction last month after several sections of the rail, which lie below bluffs, were deemed unstable and at immediate risk of landslide and coastal erosion.
Crews placed 5,900 tons of large boulders, known as riprap, along the rail, which are intended to absorb flowing water and stabilize potential runoff that may obstruct the rail. Up to 240,000 cubic yards of sand will also be placed between two crucial points along the rail between Mariposa and North beaches. The OCTA said crews are preparing to construct a 1,400-foot-long catchment beside the rail, but noted that the construction schedule is still being determined.
The OCTA estimated the total cost of the projects to be about $300 million.
In the update, the OCTA acknowledged the recurring interruptions to its passenger rail service: “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.”
Work will continue daily between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. before the rail’s opening. Service on the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink are still scheduled to resume normally starting June 7.
