In-person and virtual community meetings will gather feedback on draft feasibility study evaluating concepts to help protect rail service along South Orange County coastline
ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority is inviting residents, businesses and stakeholders to participate in two upcoming public meetings on the Coastal Rail Resiliency Study, which is evaluating potential strategies to help protect approximately 7 miles of the LOSSAN Rail Corridor through Dana Point and San Clemente to the San Diego County line for up to the next 30 years.
The meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about the final Draft Feasibility Study, ask questions and provide feedback on a range of refined concepts before the study is completed and presented to the OCTA Board of Directors this fall.
“I want to thank everyone who takes the time to participate and share their perspectives on the Coastal Rail Resiliency Study,” said OCTA Chair Jamey M. Federico, also a Dana Point council member. “The community’s input has helped shape the study, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate as we work to maintain safe and reliable rail service along this vital transportation link for Southern California.”
The meetings are planned for:
- In-Person Public Meeting
Monday, Aug. 10, 2026
5 to 6 p.m.
San Clemente City Hall
910 Calle Negocio
San Clemente, CA 92673 - Virtual Public Meeting
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026
5 to 6 p.m.
Webinar ID: 858 8924 9103
Registration: https://bit.ly/CRRS-Aug11
Call-in: (669) 900-6833
Spanish interpretation will be available at both meetings. Additional interpretation services and special accommodations are available by emailing CRRS@octa.net at least 72 hours before the scheduled meetings.
The Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Corridor is one of the nation’s busiest passenger and freight rail corridors, serving Metrolink, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, freight rail operations and military transportation. Along the South Orange County coastline, increasingly frequent coastal erosion, bluff movement, high tides, storms and ocean swells have caused repeated service disruptions and required ongoing emergency stabilization work. The Coastal Rail Resiliency Study is intended to help move from repeatedly responding to emergencies toward a more coordinated, proactive approach to maintaining safe and reliable rail service over the next 30 years.
The study is evaluating a variety of potential engineering approaches that could help protect the existing rail line while a separate, state-led effort examines longer-term solutions for the corridor beyond the next three decades.
The Draft Feasibility Study does not identify a single preferred project or propose one solution for the entire 7-mile corridor. Instead, it identifies a toolbox of potentially feasible rail, bluffside and beachside concepts that could be applied selectively based on conditions at specific locations.
The study evaluated 23 concepts including rail-foundation improvements, alternative railroad materials, catchment walls, bluff-stabilization measures and a range of beachside protection approaches. The beachside concepts carried forward all include sand placement and, depending on location, could also include repairing or restoring existing riprap, creating engineered revetments or seawalls, or combinations of those approaches.
Any potential construction would require additional alternatives analysis, conceptual and final engineering, environmental review under applicable state and federal requirements, public engagement, permits, approval by regulatory agencies, and funding would need to be identified.
OCTA has conducted multiple rounds of public outreach during the study and has incorporated community feedback into the ongoing study process. Residents are encouraged to review the Draft Feasibility Study and continue participating as the study moves toward completion.
Please visit www.octa.net/CRRS for additional study information and meeting materials.
