SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — The long disruption of Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink service in south Orange County is about to end.
As of Monday, April 17, full daily Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego — halted in September 2022 — will resume, as well as Metrolink service to Oceanside, Calif. Passenger traffic was suspended because of an unstable hillside; the Orange County Transportation Authority has been overseeing a $13.7 million project to stabilize the slope, using ground anchors drilled into the bedrock to prevent further ground movement [see “Full passenger service to San Diego not expected until April,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 14, 2023]
“This emergency work has posed an unprecedented challenge, especially with the heavy rainfall this season, and we’re very pleased to announce that passenger service can safely resume on this key stretch of Southern California rail,” OCTA Chairman Gene Hernandez said in a press release. “We greatly appreciate the public’s patience and their understanding that ensuring passenger safety is always the first priority.”
Some 200 of the 130-foot-long anchors were installed along a 700-foot section of track, halting as much as 28 inches of movement in the year before passenger service was suspended. Boulders were also placed along the shoreline to protect the right-of-way.
That work will allow the full schedule of 10 daily round trips between Los Angeles and San Diego to resume, and discontinue a bus bridge that had operated between Oceanside and Irvine as part of a more limited schedule.
“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 Agency, which oversees Surfliner operations. “We thank our customers for their patience during this extended construction period and look forward to welcoming them back next week.”
Also resuming will be the Rail2Rail program, which allows Metrolink monthly pass holders to use Surfliner trains; checked baggage at San Diego and Oceanside; and pet and bike reservations. More information is available here.
The Surfliners are also offering a special 30% off fare to celebrate the return of full service for tickets purchased by April 21, and used between April 17 and May 31. Information and booking is available here.
Full Metrolink service on the Inland Empire-Orange County Line and the Orange County Line also returns, marking the first service to Oceanside since last September. Currently, weekday service terminates at the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station and weekend service ends at the San Clemente Pier station. Full schedules for those lines are available here.
More information on the slope stabilization program is available here.
So this ’emergency’ for a ‘vital transportation link’ took 7 months to fix?
Great news!