Amtrak, Metrolink resume full service through San Clemente
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Full rail service has resumed between Oceanside and Irvine following an effort to shore up a stretch of the San Clemente coast that has seen multiple landslides over the last year, causing headaches for train travelers.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) announced the return to full service for Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and the Metrolink last week as construction work to erect a 200-foot catchment wall along the rail line at Mariposa Point neared its end.
The wall, in combination with other infrastructure improvements made over the last few months, will help with drainage issues that can lead to landslides, according to transit officials.
Limited service resumed through the area in early March the dumping of more debris in landslides on the track while strong storms swept through the area in January, making it unsafe for passenger travel.
Starting on Monday, Pacific Surfliner trains will run to and from San Diego without a bus connection between Irvine and Oceanside. There will be 10 daily round trips between Los Angeles and San Diego. View full travel advisories on Amtrak.com.
However, Amtrak says one of its scheduled trips on Monday, Train 761, will begin in Los Angeles instead of San Diego as they move equipment in place to resume the full schedule.
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The Metrolink will also run all of its scheduled trains as normal between San Clemente and Oceanside beginning on Monday. More details on any impacts to rail service can be found at Metrolink.com.
The project completed on Monday is one of several in the works for the coastal rail corridor between San Diego and Los Angeles, known as LOSSAN.
Earlier this year, lawmakers announced millions of dollars in funding towards efforts aimed at dealing with coastal erosion’s impact on the tracks. San Diego County’s transit planning board is also still exploring the possibility of moving the rail lines in Del Mar away from the coastal bluffs.
Passengers boarding trains in Oceanside on Monday told FOX 5/KUSI that they are excited to be able to take the train without the bus connection again.
“Now that I am more aware of the system and where it goes, so there are plans in the future to take it for fun.” said one train traveler, Kristina Driskill.
“I really just like the convenience and I don’t have to deal with (I-5) freeway,” Driskill continued. “I just get in the zone and the way the train runs south. It’s really close to the ocean and you get to see those nice ocean views at the beginning and at the end of the day.”
FOX 5/KUSI’s Christy Simeral and Elizabeth Alvarez contributed to this report.
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