Passenger Rail Service to Restart Through San Clemente Following Construction of Protection Wall

C. JAYDEN SMITH

For the second time in 2023, Metrolink and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner will resume passenger rail service through San Clemente following a landslide, as the Orange County Transportation Authority announced service is scheduled to start again on Monday, July 17.

The announcement on Tuesday, July 11, comes one day after the OCTA Board of Directors was informed about the upcoming completion of work to construct a track protection wall near the base of the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

“Metrolink and OCTA worked in partnership to build the temporary barrier wall on an emergency basis to protect the tracks, so passenger service could safely resume as soon as possible,” Metrolink said in a press release. “The city of San Clemente continues work to stabilize the hillside for the long-term.”

The Casa Romantica property experienced landslides on April 27 and June 5, with both prompting the railroad entities to suspend service between South Orange County and North San Diego County after debris fell into the track’s right of way.

Construction crews contracted by OCTA, which owns the track through Orange County, began work on June 27 to build a 12-foot-high, 250-foot-long wall in the right of way. Work included driving 32 steel soldier piles into the ground.

At the OCTA board’s meeting on Monday, July 10, Jim Beil, the executive director of Capital Programs, said remaining work on the project included putting up the timber in between each soldier pile and cleaning up the area. Beil also said he expected rail service to begin next week.

After the April 27 landslide at Casa Romantica, during which a portion of the property’s back patio and landscaping fell roughly 25 feet down the hillside, the City of San Clemente performed slope stabilization work that included smoothing over the slope and removing soil to lighten the burden on the hillside.

The work briefly assuaged OCTA and Metrolink’s consideration of building a retaining wall, as rail service resumed on May 27.

City officials first noticed further movement on June 3, followed by a more dramatic slide on June 5, causing the OCTA board to approve taking emergency actions to resolve the situation.

The barrier wall is temporary, as mandated by the California Coastal Commission within the Emergency Coastal Development Permit it issued for the project. The wall will be removed once the city completes its own further stabilization work on the Casa Romantica property.

For the latest updates on train schedules, visit metrolinktrains.com/ service-update or pacificsurfliner.com/ alerts.

Community Meetings

FRIDAY, JULY 14

Beachside Chat

8-9 a.m. Join San Clemente residents and dignitaries for the weekly Beachside Chat, a spirited, town hall forum on community issues led by a slate of rotating hosts. The chats are held at Dorothy Visser Senior Center, located at 117 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente. All are welcome.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

Challenging Cancer

10-11:30 a.m. The Challenging Cancer group is conducting weekly meetings through Zoom video conferences. The meetings are open to caregivers, people who have a compromised immune system, and people dealing with cancer. To join, email donnavigil2@gmail.com or linda_crdv@yahoo.com. heritagesc.org.

TUESDAY, JULY 18

San Clemente City Council

5 p.m. The San Clemente City Council will conduct its regularly scheduled meeting in person at the Council Chambers at City Hall, as well as virtually. The meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel. City Hall, 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente. 949.361.8200. san-clemente.org.

Because I Love You (BILY)

6:30-8:30 p.m. The organization Because I Love You (BILY), which helps parents navigate through whatever parenting challenges they may be facing (e.g., failure to launch, substance misuse, disrespect), will continue conducting its weekly meetings on Tuesdays via Zoom video conference and in person/Zoom the first Tuesday of each month at The Noble Path Foundation. For detailed instructions on how to participate, email bilysanclemente@gmail.com. Noble Path Foundation, 420 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente.

San Clemente Toastmasters

7-8:40 p.m. The Toastmasters Club invites people to lose their fear of public speaking and have fun at the same time. Join them in person on the first and third Tuesday of the month at the Baha’i Center, at 3316 Avenida del Presidente. Visitors welcomed. Call or text Laura Yang at 949.547.6558 with questions. 6463.toastmastersclubs.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19

VA Disabled Claims Clinic

2-4 p.m. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 9934 will sponsor a Veterans Affairs Disability Claims Clinic at the Dana Point Community Center the first and third Wednesday of each month. Veterans can walk in and meet with a VFW Service Officer and receive information on how to file a claim for service-related medical issues. Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point.

Planning Commission

5-10 p.m. The city’s Planning Commission will conduct its regularly scheduled meeting at the Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed through the city’s YouTube channel. City Hall, 910 Calle Negocio. 949.361.8200. san-clemente.org.

CUSD Board of Trustees

7 p.m. The governing board for the Capistrano Unified School District will meet to decide on local education matters. CUSD Headquarters, 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano. capousd.org.