Passenger train service through San Clemente is expected to resume ahead of schedule as work wraps up on a catchment wall along a beachside bluff, rail officials announced Tuesday, March 19.
Metrolink commuter service between Oceanside and Orange County and full Amtrak Pacific Surfliner travel will resume Monday, March 25. Limited Surfliner service had already been launched earlier this month.
Service was stopped at the end of January when a bluff slide occurred after heavy rains saturated the region. The slide left debris on the tracks and a portion of the Mariposa Trail Bridge in San Clemente dangling near them.
In addition to the catchment wall, Orange County Transit Authority crews updated the drainage system, graded the hillside and did trenching, according to a Metrolink news release.
“Metrolink’s track department undercut nearly 500 feet of ballast from below the track to remove mud and dirt that had inundated the right of way,” Metrolink stated. “That effort, along with additional tie replacement and track resurfacing, was essential for the long-term stability of the track and critical before trains safely resume speeds above 10 mph.”
Rail travel has been disrupted several times along the coastal tracks since 2022 because of landslides.
