Starting July 17, passenger trains will be able to use the track through San Clemente, Calif., following construction of a temporary barrier wall to protect the track from debris and dirt from an unstable slope above.
Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner trains have not consistently operated on this section of track since April 27 when the slope below Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens became unstable and dropped 20 feet. Train service resumed briefly in late May after the city of San Clemente performed emergency repairs that included removal of excess soil and reshaping the slope to reduce the chance of additional material sliding down on the rail line. However, a second slide in June sent debris and dirt into the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) owned right of way and rail service was again halted.
Freight trains continued to use the line under a slow order where trains operated at 10 mph. Passenger rail providers, including Metrolink and LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, suspended service “out of an abundance of caution.”
While the city of San Clemente is working to stabilize the slope for the long term, Metrolink and OCTA partnered to construct the temporary barrier wall. The temporary barrier wall is 250 feet long and 12 feet high, with piles set 32 feet beneath the ground. A report in the San Diego Union-Tribune included the cost of the service disruption was between $5.5 million and $6 million, which will be covered by OCTA funding and a $3 million allocation from the California Transportation Commission.
OCTA, Metrolink and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency explain the rail line is reopening ahead of summer rail travel season and large events, including Comic-Con in San Deigo and horse racing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
