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Landslide halts SoCal rail service
The railway in between Orange and San Diego Counties is temporarily shut down as officials assess the damage.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. - Train service in part of Orange County was suspended Wednesday, after a landslide near tracks in San Clemente.
Orange County MetroLink first reported the hillside just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. According to the Orange County Transportation Authority, boulders and debris fell onto the tracks, damaging the Mariposa pedestrian and bike bridge.
All rail service between the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Station and Oceancide has been suspended due to the landslide. Metrolink is currently working on repairs, but officials didn't provide any timeline for the tracks to potentially reopen.
FILE: Railroad tracks and hillside along the Beach Trail on Friday, April 28, 2023 in San Clemente, CA. Rail service remained unavailable in southern Orange County today due to a landslide that damaged the historic Casa Romantica Cultural Center and …
While Metrolink said that alternative options will not be provided during the closure, the official Metrolink OC account on X shared information about passengers affected by the interruptions Wednesday being able to redeem a $50 Uber credit. More information on that can be found on Metrolink's website, or by tapping or clicking here.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Another landslide in San Clemente stops trains just days after resuming service
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who is also the Director of the Orange County Transportation Authority, said climate change denial was to blame for the issues facing the rail line.
"With less than one month into the new year, the railroad tracks in South County are already closed due to a landslide in San Clemente," Foley said. "Decades of climate change denial leaves Orange County behind in a race between us and Mother Earth. To protect our local economy and way of life, we cannot afford for these disruptive service suspensions to continue on a yearly basis."
This past summer, rail service was suspended in the area after landslides near the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens. The first disruption came in April, then days after service resumed in June, another landslide brought the tracks to a standstill yet again.
In the meantime, The Orange County Transportation Authority, Metrolink and Amtrack Pacific Surfliner will be providing updates at metrolinktrains.com/service-update and pacificsurfliner.com/alerts.