USA: The San Clemente rail line closed after waves damaged the adjacent slope, blocking Metrolink, Pacific Surfliner and freight traffic through the area with no confirmed reopening date.

Waves wash over the coastal rail tracks in San Clemente
An official image published on September 8, 2026 shows waves over the coastal rail tracks in San Clemente. Photo: Orange County Transportation Authority.

Wave damage along the San Clemente rail line

In its September 8 update, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) said waves had washed over the tracks and worn away more of the neighboring slope, also damaging part of the protective rock that had been placed there before. The line was taken out of service so that crews could inspect conditions safely and carry out further emergency stabilization.

Crews have placed additional riprap, or rock reinforcement, to help protect the track and slope. OCTA said crews would remain on site to monitor the shoreline while tides stayed elevated, with more protective work to follow as conditions allowed. At the time of the September 8 update, severe high tides were forecast through at least Thursday, September 10.

How Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner trains are running

A Metrolink service alert states that tracks between Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside are closed, so Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains begin and end their trips at Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station. The operator has told riders to expect continued service impacts.

Pacific Surfliner trains run no farther south than San Juan Capistrano. Under the Pacific Surfliner travel advisory, passengers bound for points beyond it leave the train at Irvine and continue by bus to Oceanside, while travelers heading north from Oceanside are taken by bus to Irvine. The advisory also cites signal issues caused by the waves.

Weekend work window and next steps

Previously scheduled construction and maintenance will also close the line on Saturday and Sunday, September 12–13. That weekend there will be no Pacific Surfliner trains between San Diego and San Luis Obispo and no replacement buses, as Union Pacific, Metrolink and the North County Transit District carry out coordinated work along the LOSSAN Corridor, including slope stabilization and trail reconstruction in the San Clemente area. Pacific Surfliner schedules service to resume on Monday, September 14, following the planned weekend work. That schedule does not constitute a confirmed reopening time for the wave-damaged section: in their latest updates, OCTA and Metrolink said no reopening timeline had been confirmed.

The line through San Clemente forms part of the 351-mile LOSSAN Rail Corridor, which connects San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and communities farther north and carries both passenger and freight services. Alongside near-term stabilization and sand placement, OCTA is working with state and local partners on longer-term planning to make the coastal line in south Orange County more resilient.

Context

Since 2021, coastal erosion, bluff movement, landslides, high tides, storms and strong swells have interrupted rail service through San Clemente again and again, with the outages adding up to nearly a full year, OCTA said in August. On August 24, the OCTA board reviewed a draft feasibility report from its Coastal Rail Resiliency Study, which looks at ways to protect about 7 miles of the corridor through Dana Point and San Clemente to the San Diego County line for up to 30 years. The draft does not name a single preferred project, and it concludes that short-term stabilization on its own will not remove the risks facing rail operations. The study is due to be finalized later this year.

OCTA emergency rail protection areas in San Clemente (as listed by OCTA, checked September 11, 2026)
Area Location (mile posts) Problem identified Planned work Status reported by OCTA
1 203.83–203.90 Erosion wearing down the existing protective riprap Repair and placement of riprap; sand nourishment Construction complete
2 204.00–204.40 Erosion wearing down the existing protective riprap Repair and placement of riprap; sand nourishment Construction complete
3 204.07–204.34 Continuing bluff failures posing an imminent threat to rail infrastructure Catchment wall; trail restoration Not listed as complete by OCTA
4 206.00–206.70 Erosion exposing stretches with little or no riprap protection Engineered shore protection; sand nourishment Not listed as complete by OCTA

OCTA has identified four locations in San Clemente for emergency protection of the rail line, combining rock reinforcement, a catchment wall and sand placement; it reports construction complete in Areas 1 and 2 and notes that design features may change as engineering is refined. OCTA’s September 8 closure update does not say which of these locations was affected by the latest wave damage. Source: OCTA Coastal Rail Emergency Projects.

Funding for OCTA’s Coastal Rail Emergency Projects in San Clemente (as listed by OCTA, checked September 11, 2026)
Funding source Amount (US dollars) Share of total (Railway Supply calculation)
State funds $212.6 million 68.5%
Federal funds $96.9 million 31.2%
Measure M2 (Orange County half-cent transportation sales tax) $960,000 0.3%
Total project funding $310.5 million 100%

State and federal sources account for almost all of the $310.5 million OCTA lists for its Coastal Rail Emergency Projects, with Measure M2 contributing $960,000. Shares are Railway Supply calculations (component amount ÷ $310.5 million total × 100), rounded to one decimal place; the three published components add up to $310.46 million, which OCTA shows as $310.5 million. Source: OCTA Coastal Rail Emergency Projects.