Amtrak, Metrolink service from San Diego to Orange County resumes after emergency closure

Passenger rail service was set to resume Saturday between San Diego and Orange counties following a month-long emergency closure caused by a landslide in San Clemente.

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner rail line and Metrolink’s commuter line were set to reopen as the majority of work needed to stabilize a slope near the tracks has been completed, the Orange County Transportation Authority announced Friday.

In April, passenger and freight train service through the corridor was halted because of a landslide originating on the slope behind the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens patio in San Clemente. A chunk of the hillside fell the night of April 26 and slid about eight to 10 feet down the hill the following day.

The slide did not cause any damage to the railroad tracks, but the rail line closed so the hillside could be stabilized and debris that fell at track level could be cleared, officials said. The slide was thought to be caused by a combination of poor soil in the area weakened by heavy rain this past winter.

The April closure was the third lengthy disruption of rail service in the region since 2021, occurring less than two weeks after passenger service had reopened following a six-month suspension caused by a different landslide. Rail service has been hampered by a crumbling coastline due in part to erosion.

The last closure was caused by a recurring landslide two miles south on a bluff below the Cyprus Shore community, which began gradually moving again last fall. The line remained closed from Sept. 30 to April 17 during a $13.7-million stabilization project to drill steel anchors more than 130 feet deep into the bedrock.