A portion of the Pacific Surfliner train line running through San Clemente in South Orange County will remain closed indefinitely, despite transportation officials originally looking at a Friday reopening.
The stretch of line between the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station and the Oceanside stop in San Diego County was originally closed on Sunday due to damage from high surf brought on by Hurricane Marie, which Southern California caught the outskirts of.
The Orange County Transportation Authority wrote in a news release Tuesday that high tides and strong surf continued to damage the line since the storm over Labor Day weekend, and that crews noticed additional damage Monday night beyond what was repaired on Sunday.
“Waves overtopped the tracks in the affected area and caused further deterioration along the adjacent slope, including damage to some previously placed protective rock. The rail line closed so crews could safely assess conditions and perform additional emergency stabilization,” reads the news release.
The tracks will now remain closed until further notice – or at least through Sept. 13, due to pre-scheduled track maintenance.
According to the news release, “additional protective work will be performed as conditions allow” as high surf is expected until Thursday.
Metrolink services will run to the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station, but won’t run south of the stop, and Pacific Surfliner services will run to San Juan Capistrano with bus services between Irvine and Oceanside.
The closure comes as OCTA and San Clemente officials have gone back and forth on how to address the disappearing coast and how to best support the tracks running alongside it.
The portion of the rail line that runs through San Clemente is parallel to the quickly eroding coast, being only 200-feet away from the water in some spots. Because of its proximity to the ocean, the line is no stranger to closures due to slips and erosion.
Often, the effects of the erosion are mitigated by OCTA adding large rocks and boulders, known as riprap, to stabilize the land.
However, because riprap can speed up the erosion process, San Clemente city officials are looking for alternatives.
[Read: OC Officials Consider Boulders Along Coastal Train, San Clemente Protests]
San Clemente city officials have been scrambling to find solutions to save the disappearing beaches, with lack of funding being one of the biggest challenges.
In a community effort to save the beaches, residents gathered 7,000 signatures to add a 1% sales tax to the November ballot. The tax could bring in $15 million and would go toward sand replacement projects and wildfire prevention.
[Read: San Clemente Residents to Vote on Another Sales Tax for Sand]
In the Tuesday news release, OC Transportation Authority officials say protecting the Pacific Surfliner rail line is an ongoing effort.
“OCTA also continues working with the state and local partners on longer-term planning to improve the resiliency of the coastal rail corridor in south Orange County while advancing near-term stabilization and sand placement efforts to help protect the existing rail line.”
Michelle King is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. You can reach her at mcaitlin254@gmail.com.
