Limited passenger service on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner will resume through San Clemente starting Wednesday morning, March 6. This comes as work progresses on building a catchment wall at Mariposa Point to safeguard the rail right of way.
With all 33 steel beams for the wall’s foundation in place and Amtrak’s risk analysis completed, OCTA, Metrolink, and LOSSAN teams have greenlit the resumption of limited Pacific Surfliner service to and from San Diego through San Clemente. Specific trains fully reinstated without bus connections include southbound trains 562 (morning) and 784 (evening), and northbound trains 765 (morning) and 587 (evening).
Morning trains will pass through San Clemente between 7 and 8 a.m., while evening trains are scheduled between 6 and 7 p.m. Mid-day service remains suspended to allow continued construction. Bus connections between Irvine and Oceanside are available for certain trains to facilitate passenger travel during the closure.
Although the morning and evening service resumption will shorten the construction work window, the completion of the catchment wall is anticipated later this month, paving the way for full passenger service restoration. However, Metrolink won’t resume service through the area immediately, aiming to minimize disruptions to construction efforts.
Passengers are advised to check Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink websites for real-time updates on rail services. The rail line closure stemmed from a landslide on Jan. 24, causing damage to the Mariposa Trail Pedestrian Bridge and disrupting rail operations. Efforts to restore full service are ongoing.
California’s transportation infrastructure continues to face storm-related challenges, with recent incidents including nightly closures on Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu due to storm damage and landslides impacting roads and buildings in Rancho Palos Verdes after record-setting rains.
