The Orange County Transportation Authority is pushing forward on studying solutions to protect the vital coastal rail line that connects passengers, freight and military assets from San Diego County to Orange County and important destinations farther north.
The OCTA board selected HDR Engineering Inc. as the firm to lead the South Coast Rail Infrastructure Feasibility Study and Alternative Concepts Analysis, transit officials said.
The study will bring together technical experts and public agency partners and engage a wide range of stakeholders to pinpoint the issues threatening the rail corridor and offer solutions to protect it.
Two major landslides in the past year near the rail line in San Clemente forced the temporary closure of the track to passenger service for several months while OCTA and its partners worked on emergency projects to stabilize the track and protect it from falling debris.
The track through San Clemente reopened to all service in July and remains open, including to Metrolink regional rail and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passengers.
Now OCTA, which owns the track, is moving ahead with the first of two studies to seek longer-term solutions.
“We’ve seen just how important this rail line is — especially with the challenges of the last year — to the tens of thousands of passengers and the business owners and others who rely on steady train service,” said Gene Hernandez, OCTA Chairman and mayor of Yorba Linda. “Now that we’ve dealt with the emergencies that forced the track to temporarily close, we will continue to work with urgency with all our partners to ensure our tracks can remain open and reliable.”
The study is expected to cost approximately $2 million, with grant funding already identified. Future costs for making the necessary improvements to ensure ongoing rail operations along the seven miles of south Orange County coast would be identified through the study.