OCTA Board authorizes emergency actions to stabilize San Clemente rail corridor

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors authorized emergency actions to stabilize sections of railroad track threatened by coastal erosion and landslides in San Clemente, moving forward with urgent work to ensure continued passenger and freight rail operations through South Orange County, Calif.

The board’s approval authorizes OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson to take all necessary steps to protect a vital stretch of track through San Clemente, where recent landslides, beach erosion and degrading riprap pose a serious threat to the rail line. 

“This action enables OCTA to act quickly and decisively to protect our coastal rail line,” said OCTA Chair and Orange County Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee. “By advancing this emergency work, we are helping to preserve a critical transportation link for Southern California, the region and beyond.” 

OCTA notes the stabilization effort addresses four areas of vulnerability, including the area near Mariposa Point, where debris from recent landslides is nearing the top of the 12-foot-high temporary catchment wall installed in 2024 to prevent slope failure. 

On April 10, the California Coastal Commission reviewed OCTA’s submission for a permit and issued a partial emergency coastal development permit to stabilize the coastal rail corridor. OCTA says that while the action is a positive development, it does not include approval for all the elements it has identified as critical to protecting the corridor. OCTA staff and legal counsel are thoroughly reviewing the permit to determine the best path forward. 

“Our priority remains clear: to move quickly, make the most of the state and federal funding we’ve already secured and deliver as much of the needed work as possible, as soon as possible,” Johnson said. “We appreciate the Coastal Commission affirming what we have long recognized – that an emergency exists along this corridor.” 

OCTA notes construction work will require a shutdown of passenger rail, so the work can be performed safely and efficiently. When work will begin and the length of a necessary closure has yet to be scheduled. OCTA, which owns the rail line, notes it will continue to work with Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific-Surfliner to keep passengers informed as the schedule is solidified. 

A focused approach 

OCTA says the board’s emergency action reflects months of engineering analysis, environmental planning and collaboration with regulatory agencies. Four priority areas were identified, each requiring tailored responses to protect the rail corridor from progressive and unpredictable coastal hazards. The agency notes the work will include approximately 95 percent sand and five percent riprap where needed to stabilize the slope and protect the track. OCTA says the effort is the largest volume of sand ever placed on San Clemente beaches in a single effort to protect the rail line and stabilize the coastline. 

The complete work OCTA has proposed:

• Placing up to 540,000 cubic yards of sand -- approximately 95 percent of total materials— to restore beaches and absorb wave energy. 
• Repairing approximately 9,000 tons of riprap only where necessary to stabilize embankments and prevent bluff failure. 
• Installing a 1,400-foot catchment wall to retain debris from active landslides and restoring a pedestrian trail at Mariposa Point. 
• Constructing a 1,200-foot shoreline protection structure near San Clemente State Beach. 

According to the agency, the catchment wall and shoreline protection structure work is anticipated to take up to eight months to complete. The Coastal Commission approved the emergency coastal development permit for Areas 1 and 2, and portions of work in Area 3. Coastal Commission staff has requested more information as to why an emergency exists in Area 4.  

Responding to coastal concerns 

In response to community and environmental stakeholder feedback, OCTA emphasized: 

• Minimal and strategic use of armoring: Riprap will only be used where absolutely necessary and designed to be functional, limited in scope and potentially temporary. 
• Environmental accountability: While the emergency permit allows construction to begin more quickly, OCTA says it remains fully subject to the California Coastal Act and will comply with environmental mitigation and monitoring requirements. 
• Proactive emergency action: While trains are still operating, the slope conditions continue to deteriorate. OCTA notes it is acting to prevent a catastrophic failure, not waiting for one to occur. 
• Transparency and engagement: OCTA says it is committed to providing timely updates, public outreach and collaboration with community stakeholders as work progresses. 

According to OCTA, most of the stabilization activities will occur within the rail right-of-way, minimizing impacts to adjacent coastal areas. 

Funding 

OCTA notes the emergency stabilization effort builds on more than $313 million in secured state and federal funding, including grants from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, the SB 1 Trade Corridor Enhancement Program and the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program. 

The OCTA Board also amended its fiscal year 2024-25 budget to allocate an additional $135 million to advance the work. 

According to OCTA, sand nourishment, while starting with emergency actions, is part of a long-term coastal resilience strategy. OCTA has issued a request for information to identify qualified sand dredging contractors and is advancing environmental clearance for offshore sand sourcing. The agency notes construction for sand placement is anticipated to begin as early as 2026 while staff is continuing to identify ways to streamline the procurement, permitting and environmental processes. 

The need to act now 

OCTA notes that since 2021, rail closures due to bluff failures in San Clemente have severed Southern California’s only coastal rail connection between San Diego and Orange counties more than once, disrupting passenger service, delaying freight shipments and threatening more than $1 billion in annual economic activity. The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo corridor is also part of the Strategic Rail Corridor Network, supporting the movement of military assets between installations along the West Coast.