ORANGE, Calif. — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego, suspended since Sept. 30 because of an unstable hillside in San Clemente, Calif., will be restored on weekends beginning Feb. 4.
In announcing the partial restoration of service, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Corridor Agency said tracks in the San Clemente area would remain closed on weekdays while slope stabilization work continues. Delays because of recent heavy rains and other issues have pushed the completion date for that work back to late March [see “Work to stabilize San Clemente hillside faces new issue,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 18, 2023].
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and I want to thank our customers for their patience during this extended track closure,” Jason Jewell, managing director of the LOSSAN Agency, said in a press release. “We’re excited to resume weekend Pacific Surfliner train service between Los Angeles and San Diego.”
Seven weekend round trips will operate between LA and San Diego on Saturdays and Sundays without the need for the bus bridge that has been operating between Irvine and Oceanside.
Surfliner service north of Goleta, Calif., has also been disrupted because of track damage related to recent storms. Full service north of Los Angeles is currently expected to be restored the week of Feb. 13.
Updated schedules and information are available at the Pacific Surfliner website and the service’s Twitter feed.
Finally, a bit of good news about the Surfliners!
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