ORANGE, Calif. — The Orange County Transportation Authority board has declared an emergency as a result of ongoing landslide issues in San Clemente, Calif., a move the board says will allow agency CEO Darrell E. Johnson to take steps to protect the rail line below the unstable hillside.
That will likely mean design and construction of a temporary wall along the rail right-of-way below the Casa Romantica Cultural Center. A debris fall from a slide there has halted rail operations since June 5; that ended little more than a week of operations following a halt from April 27 to May 26 because of the original slide at the Casa Romantica site.
Commuter rail operator Metrolink is expected to hire a contractor to design and build the wall on an emergency basis, speeding up the construction process, the OCTA said in a press release.
“As always, passenger safety will guide every action we take,” Johnson said. “We understand how difficult this closure is for the people who rely on rail service through San Clemente and we will work hard to get service running again safely.”
Metrolink service has been suspended south of the Laguna Nigel/Mission Viejo station since June 5, although weekend service was extended to San Juan Capistrano as of Saturday. Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service through the area also remains disrupted; the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees Surfliner service, announced service cuts that began Monday as a cost-saving measure while the slide disruption continues [see “Slide disruptions lead to cuts …,” Trains News Wire, June 10, 2023].
There is no estimate when full rail service might resume.
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