OCTA board advances short-term coastal rail protection plans

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) board has reviewed a draft Coastal Rail Resiliency Feasibility Report and directed staff to continue coordinating with stakeholders, regulators and the public before the larger OCTA study is finalized later this year.

The report is the latest step in the OCTA Coastal Rail Resiliency Study, which launched in late 2023 to evaluate potential strategies for protecting 7 miles of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor through Dana Point and San Clemente to the Orange County-San Diego County line. The report concluded that the corridor faces long-term vulnerabilities, and that short-term stabilization measures will not eliminate risks to rail service.

The study aims to identify ways to protect the rail line and maintain safe and reliable passenger- and freight-rail service for up to 30 years. A separate, state-led effort will examine long-term solutions for the corridor beyond that timeframe, OCTA officials said in a press release.

The draft report does not identify a single solution for the corridor, rather it provides a technical foundation for future project development and identifies potential rail, bluffside and beachside concepts that could be applied selectively based on location conditions. Staff evaluated 23 concepts, including rail foundation improvements, alternative railroad materials, catchment walls, bluff-stabilization measures and a range of beachside protection approaches.

Following technical analysis, public input and feedback from the OCTA board and regulators, the refined beachside concepts that moved forward include sand placement, restored riprap, engineered revetments and seawalls, OCTA officials said.

LOSSAN is one of the busiest passenger- and freight-rail corridors in the country. It serves Metrolink, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, freight-rail operations and military transportation.