The Orange County Transportation Authority, 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.
The track has moved as much as 28 inches over the last 13 months, due to storm surge and sand erosion on the coastal side and the gradually sliding hillside on the other.
The Orange County Transportation Authority, 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.
As OCTA nears completion on emergency work to stabilize railroad tracks in San Clemente, the agency and its partners continue to push forward on finding longer-term solutions to protect the vital coastal rail line. A plan for working with local, state and federal partners to further study and understand the issues behind the coastal erosion also calls for seeking necessary funding for lasting ...
Field personnel will continue efforts to ensure the extensive storm-water mitigation measures, including plastic tarps on the slope and improved drainage, remain effective through the additional storms expected in coming days.
“The release of the RFI coupled with our Emergency Coastal Development Permit application to the Coastal Commission shows the urgency we’ve placed to restore the safety and stability of our beaches and coastal rail corridor,” said Director Foley.
The potential solutions for the immediate threat areas are meant to protect the track from threats on the coastal and inland side caused by erosion and storm surges, among other risks.
The immediate goal is to address the areas identified in need of reinforcement as soon as possible before the next storm season arrives. OCTA will continue to work with local, state and federal partners and explore all funding options.
Construction Activities The Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the track through San Clemente, worked with Metrolink, which operates regional passenger rail service, to build a 200-foot-long wall at Mariposa Point, to safely re-establish rail service after a Jan. 24 landslide on private property above the track littered the rail line with soil and debris, halting passenger ...
The track had moved as much as 28 inches between September 2021 and September 2022 because of storm surge and sand erosion on the coastal side and the gradually sliding hillside on the other.