The Coastal Railroad, which links Orange and San Diego counties, is scheduled to resume services next month after crews reinforced trucks that are subject to landslides and coastal erosion for nearly six weeks.
Service is on Oceanside Rail, which extends from Dana Point in Southern Orange County to the southernmost stop in San Diego County, including San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside, to the southernmost tip of San Diego County, according to an update from the Orange County Transportation Department. The railway line, which provides Metrolink commuter trains and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, was closed in April to begin construction.
The California Coastal Commission last month approved emergency construction after several sections of the railway under Bluffs were deemed unstable and at an immediate risk of landslides and coastal erosion.
The crew placed a large 5,900 tonnes of rock known as the Liplap along the rails, which were intended to absorb flowing water and stabilize any runoff that could interfere with the rails. Along the rail between Mariposa and North Beach, up to 240,000 cubic yards of sand are placed between two important points. Octta said the crew is preparing to build a 1,400-foot-long catchment beside the rails, but noted that construction schedules are still being decided.
OCTA estimates the total cost of the project is approximately $300 million.
In the update, OCTA has granted repeated suspensions of passenger rail services. “For the past four years, both city and private property, San Clemente’s eroded bluff has repeatedly forced the closure of its railway lines, which have been largely uninterrupted, for over 125 years.”
Work will continue daily from 6am to 6pm before the rails open. Services on Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink are expected to resume normal from June 7th.
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