Caltrans declared an emergency Thursday for the San Clemente landslide that continues to halt passenger train traffic between San Diego and Orange counties.
The declaration will allow the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns that segment of the railroad, to obtain up to $10 million from the California Transportation Commission for immediate repairs.
“This section of rail is vital to the economic prosperity of the entire Southern California region and provides critical commuter, intercity and freight rail service every day,” Caltrans director Tony Tavares said in a news release. “This emergency declaration will give OCTA the immediate funding needed to fix this landslide and get the trains moving again as quickly and safely as possible.”
The Jan. 24 slide at the Mariposa Pedestrain Bridge in San Clemente halted all rail traffic over that spot. Freight trains resumed travel through the area over the weekend, but only at night and at speeds of 10 mph or less.
Metrolink trains, which normally go as far south as Oceanside, are only operating as far south as the Laguna Niguel-Mission Viejo station during the suspension. Some Amtrak trains offer a bus link between Oceanside and Irvine.
Rail officials have not offered an estimate for when passenger service might resume through San Clemente. Caltrans officials said the closure is a matter of statewide concern and that immediate action is needed to stop the slide and restore the tracks.
OCTA and Metrolink workers have graded the affected slope. They also replaced a culvert and applied about 30 tons of rock to ensure property drainage.
The area was covered with plastic sheeting to avoid further saturation from the rain that’s expected to continue into next week.
Coaster and Sprinter trains run by North County Transit District in San Diego County are not affected by the suspension.
The tracks are part of the 351-mile Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo, or LOSSAN, rail corridor. One of every nine Amtrak riders in the country, nearly 3 million Amtrak passengers a year, uses the corridor.
