Common passenger rail service connecting San Clemente and Oceanside will resume Monday, two months after a landslide alongside the scenic coastal route shut down operations.
The Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the observe via San Clemente, labored with Metrolink, which operates regional passenger rail service, to construct a 200-foot-long wall at Mariposa Level to shore up the hillside. Full service will resume for Metrolink trains between San Clemente and Oceanside, and for Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner to and from San Diego after beginning restricted service earlier this month.
Authorities shut down the seeven-mile stretch of the favored route between Orange and San Diego counties on Jan. 24 after particles from a privately owned hillside alongside the Mariposa Path Bridge in San Clemente fell onto the right-of-way and railroad tracks, stranding commuters for hours. It was the fifth time in three years that prepare service had been interrupted by hillside erosion within the space.
A landslide in 2022 closed Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink trains for six months. After that, one other landslide at Casa Romantica Cultural Middle and Gardens, a historic San Clemente landmark identified for its panoramic ocean views, halted service, upending passenger and freight rail service alongside the coast.
The California Transportation Fee allotted $7.2 million in emergency funding to assist the newest restore work, which additionally drew federal assist.
To safe the world, Metrolink undercut practically 500 ft of ballast from beneath the observe to take away mud and filth alongside the right-of-way, and Orange County transportation staff built-in a extra complete drainage system with the wall, which is supported by metal beams 30 ft deep, the transportation company reported. Staff additionally changed rail ties and resurfaced the observe.
Metrolink requested the general public to verify http://metrolinktrains.com for the newest updates on rail service and schedules, or name or textual content (800) 371–5465.
