The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has submitted an Emergency Coastal Development Permit application to the California Coastal Commission to advance four emergency projects that will immediately protect a critical link in the state’s rail network.

On May 7, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a request for a Coastal Development Permit to construct the catchment wall at Mariposa Point and restore the pedestrian trail. The 1,400-foot-long catchment wall will help protect the rail line from sliding debris from the privately owned hillside above the track.

Coastal erosion in San Clemente is caused by a lack of sand supply and slope failure. The erosion has become an all-too-familiar story in recent years along Southern California’s coast, with shrinking beaches bringing nearby infrastructure – homes, roads, trails, railways, utilities – much closer to the ocean tides.

A full Coastal Commission hearing on additional work areas is expected in early May, with continued coordination to address the most urgent threats identified. While stabilization activities begin with emergency track closures, OCTA continues advancing environmental clearance and long-term coastal resiliency strategies, including sand placement.

The closure will allow OCTA to begin work under a partial emergency Coastal Development Permit granted by the California Coastal Commission that allows for riprap repair and sand placement north of Mariposa Point and removal of the remaining pedestrian bridge at Mariposa Point, which was damaged in a landslide last year that shuttered the rail ...

The Orange County Transportation Authority has submitted an Emergency Coastal Develop Permit to the California Coastal Commission to start work that will help ensure uninterrupted rail service.

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.

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Monday authorized emergency actions to stabilize sections of railroad track threatened by coastal erosion and landslides in San Clemente, moving forward with urgent work to ensure continued passenger and freight rail operations through South Orange County.

Since fall 2021, multiple bluff failures and landslides on privately owned land have, along with coastal erosion, have significantly impacted rail operations along the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor, requiring emergency stabilization efforts.

On April 14, the OCTA Board of Directors is expected to consider an action that will allow OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson to enter into emergency contracting agreements to expedite work on the four Coastal Rail Stabilization Priority Projects that were identified in 2024 as most vulnerable.