An update on plans to secure a threatened rail line through south Orange County was presented to Orange County Transportation Authority board members Monday, detailing more of a time frame for proposed projects, as well as challenges ahead.

Since 2021, several landslides on the inland side and shrinking beaches on the seaward side of the line have impacted rail operations, at times shutting down the line for weeks and resulting in a series of emergency remedial projects.

The OCTA has since been looking at longer-term projects to preserve rail operations, but also more immediate steps to protect the tracks. On Monday, the OCTA board of directors approved the staff recommendation to continue collaboration with stakeholders and discussions with the public for input.

The rail line is part of the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor that is used for passenger and freight rail service.

Already, $40 million has been spent on the installation of rip rap and catchment walls after landslides at Cyprus Shore, Casa Romantica and Mariposa Point, where a pedestrian bridge that is part of the city’s popular beach trail was destroyed.

The OCTA identified more at-risk areas in San Clemente, where coastal storm surges, failing bluffs, and other factors pose an immediate threat of more rail service disruptions. Four areas, called the Coastal Rail Stabilization Priority Project, were identified and throughout last year nearly three dozen meetings were held with stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and the public to gather feedback on how they should be addressed.

Input included a call for natural solutions such as sand replenishment and establishing living shorelines, consideration of the impacts of armoring on beach erosion, supporting early-preventative action, consulting with habitat experts, and maintaining reliable railroad operations.

Some of the bluffside concept improvements proposed include various wall types, stabilization measures and drainage improvements. Beachside concepts include riprap placement, engineered rock revetments and beach sand nourishment.

“It’s really a menu of different options that we have looked at, whether it’s the bluff side, the beach side, or the rail line itself,” said project manager Dan Phu.  “It’s really more of a kitchen sink.

“Then the idea is to whittle it down to a more manageable number, where we’ll begin the evaluation process,” he added. “The public stakeholder engagement is going to be part of that process.”

Key challenges were identified in Monday’s presentation to the OCTA board, including getting permitting through various agencies, identification and permitting of a sufficient sand replenishment source, developing and securing a timely sand transport and delivery method, and approvals and permitting for additional revetment.

There will be more stakeholder meetings, officials said, and the next update with a set of refined concepts for consideration to the board is expected this 2025. A final feasibility report is expected in  mid-2026.

The OCTA will begin the preliminary engineering phase for the various concepts, officials said, which will help to determine the priority of the needed improvements.

Staff will also be working with regulatory agencies to try to expedite the permitting processes, they said.

“Coming out of this process, the idea is to basically come up with a set of solutions for the next wave of actions that’s needed and also looking at prioritizing what are the most urgent needs,” Phu said. “So as always, we’re going to look to engage the regulatory agencies early and often, much like we’ve done in other areas.”

There’s also the risk of bluff failures that could be a threat and change the project timeline, Phu noted.

Workers dump rocks along the railroad tracks as waves crash on the rip rap in south San Clemente in September 2021. Train service was again halted through the area since September 2022. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“So far this year, with the exception of this week as well as the previous week, it’s been a relatively dry season, so we have been fortunate not to see any events,” Phu said. “But there’s always the risk of not knowing what the future holds.”

San Clemente City Manager Andy Hall noted there is a sense of urgency, with the pedestrian bridge that needs repair being the only access point for lifeguards to connect to the North Beach area.

Related links

OCTA details cost of adding sand in coastal armoring proposal for tracks in San Clemente
After months of delays and decades of waiting, fluffy sand is being delivered in San Clemente
Reports highlight San Clemente, Dana Point beach troubles and restoration efforts
San Clemente’s North Beach sand project complete
San Clemente to spend almost $800,000 searching the sea for sand to battle beach erosion

Save Our Beaches co-founder Susie Whitelaw gave an invite to the transportation authority’s board members to visit the city’s shore to see how recent sand efforts have helped to provide a buffer for the rail line, including a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that put 200,000 cubic yards of sand near the pier, grains that have shifted and moved to fill in as far as a mile south. The group is concerned about additional hard amoring – the build up of rip rap and boulders barriers on the coast to protect the tracks – especially as an emergency measure.

“You can tell because it’s a little bit darker than the native sand that was there,” she said, noting that areas considered “hot spots” are now a little better protected by sand. “Sand works. It’s worked for 130 years to protect your tracks. That is all you need. I also really want to encourage you to minimize the rock footprint.”

Hall thanked OCTA staff for their leadership and collaboration.

“I know it’s a very complex issue,” he said. “I know this is a very difficult situation that you find yourselves in. We are partners in trying to make sure that not only do the trains continue, but that we have a beautiful waterfront. As you can imagine, our residents are as passionate about having their beaches and their waterfront, as you are in keeping the trains moving.”

In a separate, yet related, discussion, staff gave an update Monday on discussions with regulatory agencies to obtain regulatory permits to immediately start work.

Regulatory permitting agencies have determined that four immediate need reinforcement areas will not be processed under emergency permitting procedures “because the rail line is in operation and an emergency does not exist,” according to the staff report.

During an emergency, a project can proceed with immediate construction with the proper notification to regulatory agencies. When a project proceeds as a non-emergency project, the required project development includes more planning, environmental, design, and construction steps.

“If these tasks cannot be achieved in a reasonable timeframe, before the next one or two storm seasons, then there is a risk of potential passenger and freight rail service disruptions as a result of additional bluff failures and coastal erosion,” OCTA staffer said in their report to the board members.

Whitelaw of the Save Our Beaches group said while there has been no opposition to catchment walls on the inland side of the tracks being erected as emergency work, boulders or other changes to the beachside should go through an environmental impact review.

There was also a discussion of sand sources and permitting, with several potential inland sources identified such as Prado Dam, Lapeyre Industrial Sands and the Lower Santa Ana River.

The areas have a range of quantities available, of varying qualities, but distances factor into whether they make a viable source of inland sand. The current estimate needed is about 540,000 cubic yards, which would make 44,000 truck trips needed.

Offshore sites are also being investigated, though it appears that Surfside-Sunset is the only place where a viable sand source is currently known. San Clemente is also investigating if a closer source of sand is available for replenishment projects it is considering.

The environmental and permitting process for sand will take approximately two years to complete, officials said.

Related Articles