SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — State and Orange County officials have declared a state of emergency over the instability that has closed the rail line along the Pacific Coast in San Clemente, allowing them to approve $6 million in repairs, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Passenger and commuter rail service along the Surf Line could resume sometime in November after the Orange County Transportation Authority approved the emergency repairs Monday, the Engineering News-Record reports.
The plans call for driving large metal anchors into about 700 feet of unstable hillside in San Clemente adjacent to the tracks used by Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink commuter trains, and BNSF freight service. Steel cables would be installed diagonally into the bedrock beneath the slope. After temporary anchors are installed to allow rail service to resume, installation of permanent anchors would begin in January 2023.
The ENR quoted OCTA Chairman Mark A. Murphy as saying in a statement that the board’s action “will allow us to move forward with a more effective interim solution to prevent the tracks from moving and to safely restore rail service through this vital corridor.”
Pacific Surfliner service was halted Friday between Irvine and Oceanside, Calif., because of the unstable slope, while Metrolink suspended operations on its Orange County and Inland Empire-Orange County lines south of its Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station [see “Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink halt operations …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 30, 2022]. Freight traffic continues through the area at reduced speed.
In a Tuesday update on its website, Metrolink said the repairs were expected to take 30 to 45 days, meaning passenger service through the area could resume in early to mid-November.
The LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees Surfliner operations, has established a modified schedule that took effect Monday, Oct. 3, and continues until further notice. It includes temporary suspension of two trains in each direction, details on bus bridges for other trains, and some trains that originate in Irvine. Full details are available on the Surfliner website.
— Updated at 6 p.m. CDT with information on emergency declaration, additional details from Metrolink.
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