During the past few weeks, OCTA has secured a total of $305 million from state and federal sources to advance immediate coastal stabilization efforts on the rail corridor where it runs along the vulnerable coastline through San Clemente.
On October 30, OCTA learned that the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $100 million in funding from its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. That money comes on top of the announcement on October 24 that the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) awarded $125 million to OCTA’s rail improvement efforts through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), and $80 million from the California Transportation Commission’s Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP).
This funding will help OCTA deliver critical improvements and implement protective measures along the Orange County coastal section of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor, enhancing the safety and reliability of one of the nation’s busiest rail corridors.
Other funding for the reinforcement projects – estimated from $250 million to $340 million – comes from a mix of funding, including OCTA’s Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
The planned immediate enhancements focus on a 7-mile span of OCTA-owned railroad right-of-way through San Clemente, with the goal of preventing future emergency track closures and service disruptions.
Because of sliding hillsides on privately owned land above the tracks and coastal erosion on the ocean side, the rail line was forced to close multiple times in the past three years for emergency repairs, resulting in over 12 months of closures combined.
OCTA has been working with its partners and the community to address the issue for the immediate future and for the next approximately 30 years, while continuing to work with partners toward a long-term fix, which could eventually include moving the tracks inland.
For more information about OCTA’s coastal rail improvements, visit here.