Metrolink and Amtrak train services will be restored next week following months of stabilizing repairs due to shifting soil under a stretch of seaside track in Southern California, transit officials said Monday. .
Service between Orange and San Diego counties was halted on Sept. 30 after a storm surge caused waves that overturned tracks near the coastal community of San Clemente.
The Orange County Transportation Authority said Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail services will resume beginning April 17. The restoration will reconnect Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and Orange County with San Diego County.
Originally, the tracks were expected to reopen in February, the Orange County Register reported.
“This emergency work has posed an unprecedented challenge, especially with this season’s heavy rains, and we are pleased to announce that passenger service can safely resume in this important part of Southern California that rail,” OCTA Chairman Gene Hernandez said in a statement.
In 2021, the area faced a similar problem and the tracks were closed for two weeks. The workers brought in additional rocks to help shore up the flowing shoreline.
Amtrak provided bus service to cover the route during the latest closure. Metrolink trains south of the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Metrolink station are unavailable during the suspension.
