Amtrak, Metrolink resume San Clemente service following emergency track work

Regular service for Amtrak and Metrolink trains will resume service April 17 now that emergency track stabilization work has been completed along the Pacific coast in San Clemente, California.

Begun in October 2022, the $13.7 million stabilization project has stopped slope movement and stabilized the rail track along the California coast, Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) officials said in a press release. The work was necessary after storm surge and sand erosion caused the track to shift as much as 28 inches between September 2021 and September 2022.

Crews installed more than 200 ground anchors into the bedrock along 700 feet of track at risk of further movement. No movement has been recorded since the first row of tiebacks and ground anchors was installed in February, OCTA officials said. The transit agency will continue to monitor track conditions.Recurring heavy rains late last year led to delays in the project’s completion.

Weekend service on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner returned to the area in February after all service was suspended in September 2022.

"The reopening of the tracks in San Clemente restores vital intercity rail connections between San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo,” said Jason Jewell, managing director of the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, a division of OCTA which operates the Pacific Surfliner route.

Agency officials plan to study longer-term solutions to threats to the coastal rail line. One possible solution is moving the rail line, agency officials said.

BNSF Railway Co. trains also operate on the track. Freight service has continued through the repair area at reduced speeds and frequency following a brief suspension of service in September 2022.