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6/13/2023
The Orange County Transportation Authority yesterday declared an emergency and authorized CEO Darrell Johnson to take the necessary actions to protect track near a sliding hillside in San Clemente, California.
OCTA is working with Metrolink to develop and implement protective measures along the rail line — located below Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens just north of the San Clemente Pier — to allow it to be reopened for safe passenger-rail service as soon as possible, authority officials said in a press release.
Work likely will include designing and constructing a temporary barrier wall at the bottom of the slope within the OCTA-owned rail right of way to keep additional debris from the slide from interfering with trains on the track.
Metrolink is expected to hire a contractor to design and build the wall on an emergency basis to speed up construction, OCTA officials said.
Meanwhile, San Clemente and other officials are trying to determine the cause of the slide and stabilize the hillside above the track. City officials say the effort will take several weeks.
A decision on resuming rail service will be made when OCTA, Metrolink and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency, which operates Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service, jointly determine that it's safe for passenger-rail travel to resume, OCTA officials said.
The initial slide near Casa Romantica occurred April 27, sending debris into the rail ROW and forcing a stop to all passenger-rail service. The city worked with geotechnical experts and a contractor to grade and stabilize the slope. Passenger-rail service then resumed through the area on May 27.
But on June 5, the hillside again started to slide, sending large clumps of dirt and a tree into the area near the tracks below, forcing another indefinite stoppage of rail service. Freight-rail traffic resumed on June 7, but at a significantly reduced speed of 10 mph. Still, Metrolink, OCTA and LOSSAN determined that rail service should remain suspended until further measures can be taken to protect the track.