Now that the heavy rains have subsided, the Orange County Transportation Authority has been successful in stopping slope movement and stabilizing the tracks in South San Clemente, clearing the way for weekend service to resume.
The Orange County Transportation Authority’s San Clemente slope stabilization project is facing further delays to restore its service between San Diego and Orange counties following several days of heavy rain.
The Orange County Transportation Authority’s San Clemente slope stabilization project has been halted recently due to rain, raising questions about whether the delay will extend the suspension of passenger train service on the county’s sole railroad link between Orange and San Diego counties.
Orange County transit officials have proposed an effort to better protect the county’s sole railroad link to San Diego by adding more boulder seawalls along seven miles of the coast between San Clemente and Dana Point.
The final details of emergency slope stabilization work in San Clemente are emerging, and it looks like the construction timeline has added some length.
A slight ground shift in San Clemente, Calif., has forced major movement regarding the railroad right-of-way.
With the southern California coast continuing to wither away there continues to be an effort to save the railroad.
ORANGE COUNTY – For coastal rail resiliency, OCTA looks to sand nourishment, rock revetment, and a wall as potential solutions.
SAN CLEMENTE – As early as February 27th, crews could begin drilling for beams to support a catchment wall. This comes a month after another landslide in San Clemente.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – Freight traffic halted once more after crews observed accelerated movement of the slope in San Clemente, and OCTA received $7.2 million for a catchment wall.
SAN CLEMENTE – As debris continues to fall near Mariposa Point, OCTA gives an update on the rail right-of-way.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – The California Transportation Commission awarded more than $300 million to 15 projects across the state with $15 million going toward improvements along the LOSSAN Rail Corridor.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – Track relocation is a possibility after historic rainfall, eroding bluffs, and landslides have posed a danger to the existing line.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – A landslide halts Amtrak and Metrolink service in Orange County.
All regular Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service is set to resume beginning April 17, after the Orange County Transportation Authority’s emergency construction work has been completed to stop slope movement and stabilize the tracks in south San Clemente.
RT&S has reported extensively on the bluff failures at Del Mar and San Clemente during the past year. Now, the Orange County Transportation Authority and its contractor have begun construction activities to stabilize the railroad track through southern San Clemente, work that is expected to be completed in February.
With almost 20,000 boardings over the weekend, Metrolink experienced the highest weekend ridership it has seen in its 19-year history. This weekend’s numbers are almost 50 percent higher than the same weekend last year and 10 percent higher than the previous weekend record set when Metrolink offered train service to and from the U2 concert in Anaheim.
"The availability of public transportation during the closure of I-405 played a significant part in the increases, but there are other factors as well. The popularity of the $10 Weekend Pass and the beach trains between San Bernardino and San Clemente, all make a difference," said Richard Katz, Metrolink board chair.
Transportation projects throughout Orange County received an added boost when the California Transportation Commission allocated nearly $140 million to fund construction. The projects awarded are part of the State Transportation Improvement Program and voter-approved Proposition 1B, a $20 billion bond program to fund transportation projects throughout the state.
The commission allocated the money as a result of state bond sales last month.
In addition to the $69 million awarded to a road project, OCTA rail projects that received funding include:
• $29.2 million for construction of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
• $22.6 million for the Kraemer Boulevard railroad grade separation
• $15 million for the Placentia Avenue railroad grade separation
• $2 million for rail crossing improvements in San Clemente and Dana Point
• $1 million for signal synchronization
Since its passage in 2006, more than $7 billion in Prop 1B funds has been allocated, including more than $420 million for Orange County projects.
ORANGE COUNTY – As OCTA and Metrolink work to address a stretch of the rail line after a landslide in January, it seeks longer-term solutions for protecting the rail right of way.
SACRAMENTO –– Earlier this week, California State Sen. Catherine Blakespear introduced legislation to try to resolve and stabilize the problems on the LOSSAN corridor over the past several years.
