Metrolink, Pacific Surfliner Service Set to Resume

The rail line through San Clemente is set to reopen for passenger rail service on July 17, as emergency work has been completed to build a temporary barrier wall to protect the track, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority's news release.

Metrolink and its contractors worked in partnership with the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency and OCTA to build the temporary barrier wall below the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens to safely re-establish service on the track.

The dimensions of the barrier wall are 250 feet long and 12 feet high, with the piles set 32 feet beneath the ground.

Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner are each planning to resume service as of Monday, July 17.

Rail Line Opens in Time for Summer

The rail line is being reopened in time for the summer season for rail travel, including the Comic-Con Convention, which runs July 20-23 in San Diego, and the return of thoroughbred horse racing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds beginning July 21. 

An initial halt to passenger rail service began on April 27, when the slope behind Casa Romantica began to slide.

Service temporarily resumed in late May but was halted again on June 5, when significant additional sliding occurred. 

Metrolink and OCTA worked in partnership to build the temporary barrier wall on an emergency basis to protect the tracks, so passenger service could safely resume as soon as possible. The city of San Clemente continues to work to stabilize the hillside for the long term. 

An earlier project to stabilize the track near homes in the Cyprus Shore Homeowners Association – about two miles south of the Casa Romantica project – is also nearing completion and not affecting train service.