Caltrans declared a state of emergency Thursday because of the landslide in San Clemente that has interrupted passenger rail service to San Diego since last week.
The emergency declaration sought by the Orange County Transportation Authority will allow the agency to get up to $10 million in funding to help restore service on the rail line.
The line was closed Jan. 24 after a landslide on private property above the Mariposa Trail Pedestrian Bridge damaged the bridge and left debris on the track.
Amtrak and Metrolink service to San Diego County has been suspended, but freight trains are continuing to operate at reduced speed.
“I’m grateful for the state’s partnership and for recognizing what an important issue this is for regional mobility,” OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson said.
Officials for OCTA and Metrolink are considering how best to attack the problem of landslides in the area.
Later in the day, the agencies announced that the project team will move forward with plans to build a barrier wall to protect tracks from sliding land in San Clemente near the Mariposa pedestrian bridge (Milepost 204.2).
The path forward could include restoring limited passenger rail service during construction of the wall, but no timeline for letting passenger trains run again has been determined.
Updated 8:55 p.m. Feb. 2, 2024