Crews Begin More Repairs To Rail Line Between San Diego, Orange Counties

By Eddie McCoven

SAN CLEMENTE - Crews are still working on shoring up the bluff erosion which prompted a suspension of passenger rail service between San Diego and Orange Counties.

The Orange County Transportation Authority says crews will begin installing ground anchors Friday in an effort to stop the bluffs in San Clemente from sliding and causing damage to the busy rail line. Amtrak and Metrolink service has been suspended since September but BNSF is still running freight service, but with fewer trains and at reduced speeds.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports erosion has caused the tracks to move about 28 inches over the course of 20 years.

Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

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In this photograph taken on October 12, 2022, a truck train dumps large rocks to protect the train tracks from the ocean waves, below the exclusive Cyprus Shore residential community in San Clemente, California. - Powerful waves now wash in from the Pacific over the rails where the "Pacific Surfliner" runs, ferrying sightseers through the stunning coastal landscapes of southern California. Not long ago, the railway was cushioned by hundreds of feet (tens of meters) of golden sand. But violent southern swells have washed that sand away. With the beach gone, there was nothing to protect the rails from the fury of Tropical Storm Kay as it lashed the coast in September, eating away at the land on which they stood. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images

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