Safe passenger rail service will resume on Saturday, June 7; updated schedules at pacificsurfliner.com/alerts and metrolinktrains.com/service-updates
ORANGE – Crews are finishing the initial emergency work to reinforce the most vulnerable areas along the rail line in San Clemente this week, which will enable passenger rail service to safely resume through South Orange County on the morning of Saturday, June 7.
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. Crews finished strategically placing large boulders, also known as riprap, throughout the project areas, totaling approximately 5,900 tons to protect the track from coastal erosion. The amount of riprap needed to successfully complete the reinforcement was less than what was initially called for in construction plans.
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 this week continued preparing the track to safely resume passenger service, including demobilizing construction equipment, testing rail signals, and resurfacing more than 3,600 feet of track.
In addition, more than 400 feet of concrete barrier was placed on the inland side of the track near Mariposa Point, creating a safe workspace for crews to build an approximately 1,400-foot-long catchment wall in coming months. The wall construction schedule is still being determined but is anticipated to occur mostly behind those barriers to help limit further disruption to passenger rail service.
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 cautious around the tracks, crossing only at designated pedestrian and road crossings – always stay off the tracks.
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 and is now opening a few days ahead of the initial schedule.
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.
