Rail Service Through Orange County Reopens After 2-Month Closure

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — Metrolink and Amtrak passenger rail service will resume through South Orange County on Monday after a landslide caused a roughly two-month closure, transportation officials announced.

According to officials, work on a 200-foot-long retaining wall designed to protect the track from additional falling debris near Mariposa Point in San Clemente is expected to finish this week.

A landslide on private property above the city-owned Mariposa Trail Pedestrian Bridge led to debris on the tracks on Jan. 24, halting all rail service. Some slow-speed freight trains eventually began moving through the affected section at night in recent weeks while shoring operations continued, and Amtrak began offering some limited passenger service on its Pacific Surfliner trains earlier this month.

But full service on both Metrolink and Amtrak lines will resume Monday morning. Information on train schedules is available at metrolinktrains.com and at pacificsurfliner.com/alerts.

The railroad tracks in the San Clemente area endured a pair of extended closures last year due to mudslides and debris. The first occurred in April near the Casa Romantica Culture Center and Gardens, blocking the tracks for a month while repairs were completed. Another mudslide occurred in the same general area on June 5, prompting another rail closure that lasted for nearly six weeks.

City News Service contributed to this report.