All passenger and freight service between San Diego and Orange counties will continue to be suspended because of debris that is still falling following a landslide in San Clemente.
Rail officials from agencies that oversee service in the corridor – the Orange County Transportation Authority, its LOSSAN affiliate and Metrolink – said in a Friday evening statement that service suspensions will continue “until further notice” due to the landslide, from a slope by the tracks north of the San Clemente Pier.
Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner have adjusted their schedules and passengers are asked to continued checking the respective websites for the latest updates.
Metrolink trains will operate this weekend as far south as San Juan Capistrano. Beginning again on Monday, weekday service is scheduled to run only as far as the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station.
Pacific Surfliner service is temporarily suspended between Irvine and San Diego, though limited train service is also available to and from San Juan Capistrano.
No bus bridge between Orange County and San Diego is currently available, but the LOSSAN Rail Agency continues to work with partners to secure buses that can transport passengers around the closure. Officials will provide updates on the website when those bus bridges are available.
The Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the track through Orange County, is working with Metrolink, geotechnical experts, and the city of San Clemente, to monitor the situation, which began Thursday, and determine next steps for when the track can safely be reopened.
Because it is “a rapidly changing situation,” officials said, “no timeline has been set at this point.”
“The track will only be reopened when it is determined to be safe for passengers,” they concluded.
