San Clemente coastal rail reopens Monday after landslide repairs

Coastal trains in San Clemente reopened on Monday after a landslide closed a 7-mile stretch of rail for about two months.  

A Jan. 24 landslide on private property above the city-owned Mariposa Trail Pedestrian Bridge led to debris on the tracks, which halted all Metrolink and Amtrak passenger rail service.

The Mariposa Bridge had reportedly been sliding for several weeks before the landslide.

A tall barrier wall was constructed below the Mariposa Point slide to protect the tracks.

Some slow-speed freight trains eventually began moving through the affected section at night in recent weeks while repair work was underway, and Amtrak began offering some limited passenger service on its Pacific Surfliner trains earlier this month.

The railroad tracks in the San Clemente area endured a pair of extended closures last year due to mudslides and debris.

The first occurred in April near the Casa Romantica Culture Center and Gardens, blocking the tracks for a month while repairs were completed. Another mudslide occurred in the same general area on June 5, prompting another rail closure that lasted for nearly six weeks.

Orange County Transportation Authority officials also are monitoring several other places in San Clemente where the eroded beach could undermine the railroad or where the steep seaside bluffs pose a threat.

Information on train schedules is available at metrolinktrains.com and at pacificsurfliner.com/alerts.