ORANGE, Calif. — The Orange County Transportation Authority board has declared an emergency as a result of ongoing landslide issues in San Clemente, Calif., a move the board says will allow agency CEO Darrell E. Johnson to take steps to protect the rail line below the unstable hillside.
That will likely mean design and construction of a temporary wall along the rail right-of-way below the Casa Romantica Cultural Center. A debris fall from a slide there has halted rail operations since June 5; that ended little more than a week of operations following a halt from April 27 to May 26 because of the original slide at the Casa Romantica site.
Commuter rail operator Metrolink is expected to hire a contractor to design and build the wall on an emergency basis, speeding up the construction process, the OCTA said in a press release.
“As always, passenger safety will guide every action we take,” Johnson said. “We understand how difficult this closure is for the people who rely on rail service through San Clemente and we will work hard to get service running again safely.”
Metrolink service has been suspended south of the Laguna Nigel/Mission Viejo station since June 5, although weekend service was extended to San Juan Capistrano as of Saturday. Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service through the area also remains disrupted; the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees Surfliner service, announced service cuts that began Monday as a cost-saving measure while the slide disruption continues [see “Slide disruptions lead to cuts …,” Trains News Wire, June 10, 2023].
There is no estimate when full rail service might resume.
Just a casual observation of the picture of the slide shows that part of the problem is man made, and I’m NOT talking about man made climate change. When they built this rail line 120-140 years ago, their was nothing else around it. The picture shows that structures (a number are multi story) have been constructed right up to the rail right-of-way. Where the slide occurred was on the only piece in the area that wasn’t built on. The surrounding properties have been altered (cut down) when built upon. Thus the adjacent property, which hasn’t been built on, has had it’s stability compromised. Any rain/ground water combined with the slightest earth tremor (even one rated a .1 on the scale), and that hillside will move.
All of these recent landslides plaguing the Surf Line is a result of either deferred maintenance or not paying close attention to changing trends and shifts in climate change and periodic storms and other natural events taking place. Steps should have been taken years ago to bolster the roadbed and retaining walls and cliffs that the railroad has to pas through and use. A permnanet wall with pile drivings and steel supports should have been constructed before all these landslides happened. With proper rebuilding and engineering this line is still the best and viable way connecting the cities and towns along the Surf line. Some folks have suggested relocating the line inland which is really not pracitcal and will run into the millions if not billions the way construction costs and overuns are common these days Besides the orginal builders of the railroad in the 1800s and early 1900s who conceived and built the Surf Line could have and may have considered building this line inland but due to the costs and engineering and logistical issues involved it was ruled out and the line along the beach and ocean was built. It still is the best way and route to run trains on it but better construction methods as well as more vigilance is needed to insure and prevent future landslides. Mother Nature has a way of rearing up and biting us on our rear ends if we don’t learn how to be better prepared and work and respect her rules
Joseph C. Markfelder
Please continue to repair this vital infrastructure, which provides work for many Geotechnical Engineers, Geotechnical drilling contractors, Consultants, Construction companies. Thank you for the continuing work!