The Orange County Transportation Authority has again declared an emergency need for repairs to the coastal train tracks that run through San Clemente to fix damage from landslides and ocean waves.
Passenger rail service between San Clemente and Oceanside that was halted last week because of safety concerns will remain blocked until further notice for the construction, officials said.
Repairs at two locations are needed – an original stretch of track along the cliffs below the Cyprus Shore community in south San Clemente that already underwent several months of work and a stretch further north at the base of the hillside below the Casa Romantica cultural center that has recently seen chunks of soil and patio tumble onto the tracks.
OCTA board members approved on Monday the construction of a temporary barrier wall at the base of the hillside below Casa Romantica to protect the track. No timeline for the work was offered.
“Once a contractor is on board, we will know more about potential costs and will work with all our state and federal partners to explore funding options,” Eric Carpenter, an OCTA spokesperson, said in an email.
OCTA, which owns the tracks through Orange County; Metrolink, which operates passenger train service; and the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (or LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency will jointly decide when the rail line can reopen.
Passengers are advised to check the Metrolink and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner websites for information about alternative transportation services.
Three daily Pacific Surfliner round trips to and from San Diego with corresponding bus connections are transporting people around the closure between Irvine and Oceanside. The Pacific Surfliner is reducing services south of Irvine to cut costs and preserve its services during the track closure. Services north of Irvine remain unaffected.
Metrolink’s trains will go as far as Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo on weekdays. Weekend trains will operate no further than San Juan Capistrano.
“We understand how important the rail line is for people who rely on it and we are working as quickly as possible,” Carpenter said.
The transportation authority’s budget for the next fiscal year will include more than $9 million for slope stabilization in southern Orange County to prevent future landslides and protect buildings and transportation infrastructure.
“Our rail corridor is critical to Orange County’s coastal economy, transportation ecosystem, national security, and way of life,” Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley, who is also on the OCTA board, said in a statement. “We must work expeditiously to protect our tracks while simultaneously creating long-term solutions for this essential rail corridor.”
In October, passenger rail services below Cyprus Shores was suspended after high tides and storm surges and movement of the hillside caused shifting in the tracks. The transportation authority declared an emergency and hired a contractor to stabilize the slope by drilling anchors into the bedrock underneath the hillside. The total cost of the repairs up until April, when train service was allowed to resume, was $7.69 million.
On May 12, testing and locking off of more than 220 tieback strands was completed, officials said. The remaining construction, which will be completed this month, involves cutting, capping and covering all the tiebacks with concrete, installing a trench drain system, restoring the slope and fencing and planting new vegetation.
However, additional work shoring up a city-owned storm drain is still needed. OCTA approved an increase of about $2 million in work.
“This stabilization work is being completed on an emergency basis and OCTA staff continues to work with the contractor to deliver a quality project while being responsible with taxpayer money,” Carpenter said.
The project is partially funded through a $6 million state contribution.
The railroad below Casa Romantica was previously closed on April 27 after the hillside began to move. After the slope was stabilized, passenger rail service began again on May 27 before more debris fell and trains were halted again last week. Much of the cultural center and its gardens are open to the public, some sections near the bluff’s edge are blocked off.
