The rail line through San Clemente reopened Monday, March 25 for regular passenger rail service following emergency work to build a catchment wall to protect the track.
Full passenger service has been restored ahead of the initial schedule because of expedited work made possible with strong cooperation between the transportation agencies and the state, including the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).
OCTA owns the track through San Clemente and worked in partnership with Metrolink, which operates regional passenger rail service, to build a 200-foot-long wall at Mariposa Point, to safely re-establish service on the track.
Metrolink and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, operator of Pacific Surfliner, resumed full service Monday morning. Passengers were updated through social media, station messages and direct communication.
The emergency construction work was necessitated by a January 24 landslide from a privately-owned hillside that littered the rail right of way below with soil and debris, halting rail service.
For the longer term, OCTA and its rail partners will continue to work with local, state and federal stakeholders on both near-term and long-term solutions for protecting rail movement along this critical corridor.
Work is already underway on the first of two studies. Listening sessions with stakeholders and the public have begun on the OCTA-led Orange County Coastal Rail Resiliency Study, which aims to protect the rail line in place for the next 10 to 30 years. For more information on that study, visit here.