By admin 
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (KABC) — The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is conducting emergency repairs at two locations along the rail line in San Clemente after recent high tides and large swells damaged coastal infrastructure and disrupted train service.
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The work follows days of strong surf and elevated tides along the Southern California coast. Video recorded last week by photographer Nick Gates shows waves battering the shoreline, including train tracks that run directly along the coast.
“We have had some real challenges in the last there years in particular,” said Eric Carpenter, spokesperson for the OCTA.
According to OCTA and Metrolink, recent swell activity prompted the agency and Metrolink to undertake emergency repairs this week. Metrolink said crews discovered track erosion, resulting in a temporary closure. Other trains were delayed because salt water caused communication interference. Crews performed emergency repair work to replace several truckloads of ballast.
The repairs happening this week are focused on two areas between the San Clemente Pier and the San Diego County line.
“We’re just working within that footprint to repair some of that rock and drop additional rock just to make sure that those waves aren’t reaching the rail line and of course safety is our top priority. We want to make sure that we continue to have safe rail service through this area,” Carpenter said.
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OCTA said the railroad is part of the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the country but remains vulnerable to both coastal erosion and eroding bluffs.
While the current emergency work is intended to address the impacts of recent high tides, officials say longer-term solutions are also being considered.
“We’re also working with the state who’s gonna lead a study that will focus on even longer term potential solutions which could be moving the rail line. But of course that would take decades and billions of dollars,” Carpenter said.
OCTA is also working to finalize a coastal rail resiliency study later this year that examines strategies to protect the railroad over the next 30 years. Those strategies include sand nourishment.
The latest emergency repair work is taking place overnight from 10:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Wednesday as crews prepare for forecasts of high tides returning later this week.
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