The train service connecting the counties of Orange and San Diego was again interrupted – this time for about six weeks – while the crews try to strengthen a particularly unstable coastal section in San Clemente which has for years the critical railway line.
Due to the closings that started on Monday, the Metrolink and Metrolink County County Road Roads will temporarily end and end at the Laguna Niguel / Mission Viejo station – a completely closed service in the four most southern stops of the lines: San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, San Clemente Pier and Ocadeside. No bus or detour service will be provided.
The AMTRAK Pacific Surfliner range will also be disturbed by construction work, but a bypass bus will work between Irvine and Oceanside, allowing a complete trip.
Temporary disruptions occur only a few weeks after the transport authorities called for emergency repairs “to stabilize four areas most vulnerable to failure above the railway by San Clemente”, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority.
“Emergency measures are necessary to treat urgent threats to the erosion of slopes and beaches and to protect the community, rail passengers and global rail operations,” said OCTA in an update. The San Clemente project focuses on construction which aims to “protect the rail line against coastal erosion and the activity of landslides”, said Metrolink officials in an update on closures.
This section of the Oceanside Railway in San Clemente and other areas of the coastal county of Orange, have been closed several times in recent years while coastal erosion, landslides and rock falls have continued to affect the stability and safety of the track.
Railway managers were under pressure to find a long -term solution for the critical railway, which provides both public transport and key freight services. Defenders and legislators have become more and more worried about the Lossan rail corridor – which means Los Angeles -San Diego -San Luis Obispo – such as climate change and decline in the future of the line. However, there was little movement to find or finance a permanent solution for the corridor.
Amtrak’s railway service in the County of San Diego also experiences frequent schedule changes due to a similar construction project aimed at stabilizing del Mar.
The construction that will take place in San Clemente in the coming weeks is the first phase of a broader emergency project than the OCTA authorities plan to take a year. The initial work will restore the rock reinforcements, known as Riprap, along the tracks which have deteriorated due to the damage of the waves and the erosion of the beach, said the agency. The crews should also place 240,000 cubic yards of sand in the region to help “stabilize the slope and protect the track”.
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