The railroad is one of the most iconic and frequented passenger rail lines in the United States, connecting cities in Southern California along the beautiful coastline. From the grassy headlands of San Luis Obispo to the wide beaches of Orange County to the seaside cliffs of San Diego, the so-called Rossan Rail Corridor is renowned for its breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

But will it last?

Regular passenger flights operate between crumbling cliffs and unrelenting sandy erosion. Rossan In southern Orange County, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (short for Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo) route has been closed for all but a few weeks since last September. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains have transitioned to alternative buses that carry passengers inland through heavy traffic, and Metrolink has suspended service to major tourist destinations such as San Clemente.

Elected officials and transportation leaders in Orange County are increasingly vocal about permanently abandoning portions of the coastal route and moving the tracks to less scenic but far more reliable inland areas. I’m asking if it’s time to move. San Diego County is already pursuing a similar course at Del Mar, where the Rossan snakes its way over eroding sandstone cliffs.

Transportation planners say moving part of the Orange County route inland would likely cost more than $5 billion. But the plan’s proponents say the county has already invested tens of millions of dollars in short-term solutions, an effort that doesn’t solve the ultimate problem of geological instability, which is only exacerbated by climate change. He said he was prepared to spend millions more.

“The only option to move the tracks is to spend endlessly on a losing ‘protect-in-place’ strategy,” said Katherine Breakspear, a Democratic state senator who represents Southern Orange County and Northern San Diego County. .

Breakspeare chaired an informational hearing on the future of the railroad line in May, where much of the discussion focused on potential railroad relocations in southern Orange County and Del Mar.

In Orange County, San Clemente is the current focus of the Rossan Corridor issue. The track there winds along a relatively narrow coast, looming over precarious sandstone cliffs. Passenger services were suspended again in April and June due to landslides under the historic building. Casa Romantica, is a cultural landmark and highly regarded as a wedding destination. The April decline comes just two weeks after a $13.7 million investment in six months to stabilize sand under the tracks displaced by landslides and tidal erosion two miles south, just two weeks after full passenger service was restored. woke up.

The Orange County Transportation Board has declared an urgent effort to protect the tracks from future landslides beneath Casa Romantica. Construction of a temporary wall to protect the railroad from falling rocks and debris will be built quickly at a cost of about $6 million. County Superintendent Katrina Foley, a member of the Transportation Commission, said the state would fund $3 million to build the barrier, which could be 15 feet high and 300 feet long.

“We have to secure the tracks from falling debris because it takes too long to secure the slopes of the hill,” she said. “We can’t keep the tracks closed while we wait for that to happen.”

In recent months, the county has drilled massive steel anchors into the bedrock of San Clemente’s escarpment, and hauled in more than 18,000 tons of rock to combat coastal erosion. We have also invested in stabilization efforts. The federal government recently pledged $9.3 million to fund the first phase of the decades-long plan. sand replenishment project It aims to restore the narrowed coast of San Clemente.

Heavy rains last winter exacerbated coastal instability. In Orange County, saturated cliff cracks caused an estimated $26 million in damage to public and private property. Statewide, more than 700 landslides were reported in January alone, according to the California Geological Survey.

“Cliff collapse and coastal loss will become more chronic,” said Patrick Barnard, research director for the USGS Climate Impacts and Coastal Processes Team. “The rate of sea level rise has tripled since the 20th century. The pressures on property and infrastructure don’t just go away.”

The closure of the Rossan line proved an economic loss. The 551-mile winding corridor from San Luis Obispo to San Diego is his second busiest route in the United States. Passenger trains operated by Amtrak and several local governments carry nearly 8 million passengers a year, carrying tourists, weekend beachgoers, and the clerks and restaurant workers who serve them.

The coastal railroad, which runs through southern Orange County, has repeatedly stopped passenger service in recent months amid landslides and coastal erosion.

(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Rossan is also an excellent freight route, with $1 billion worth of goods being transported annually. The road connects major military bases in the state, including Vandenberg Space Force Base and Camp Pendleton, and is the only route to transport potentially hazardous waste from the now-closed San Onofre nuclear power plant.

Freight trains of the Burlington, Northern and Santa Fe Railroad recently resumed service on the line, but as a safety measure they slowly crawl steel, potash, and other freight through San Clemente.

And passengers traded the beautiful ocean views of Orange County for the shuttle bus bridge. Head inland from Irvine to Oceanside along a featureless and often congested highway.

For San Clemente business owner Mikii Rathman, the railroad closure was as depressing as the oceanic layers that stubbornly clung to the beach town early in the summer. No passenger trains have passed through the city since June 5.

Miki’s on Del Mar, a party supply store and gift shop, has seen sales decline as there is no influx of tourists who typically disembark the train near the pier and roam the downtown mosaic of restaurants, pubs and shops. . Rathman said far fewer people buy beach towels, coasters and other “San Clemente” decorated souvenirs.

“As soon as the tracks were reopened, I could see customers coming back inside,” she said. “We were excited, but then another landslide happened, which was really disappointing.”

Before San Clemente became a hotspot along the corridor, Del Mar experienced seven slope failures between 2018 and 2021, affecting rail operations. Nearly $100 million was spent on the restoration work. And the escarpment continues to recede six inches a year.

The government agency that oversees transportation projects within San Diego Congressional County has drafted a blueprint to move Del Mar’s 2.7-mile track, which has been in service for more than 100 years, away from coastal bluffs. Preliminary plans include laying part of the line in underground tunnels, a first for the corridor.

The project is expected to cost over $3 billion. But San Diego County officials said leaving the tracks as they are would prove far more costly in the long run.

“We are looking at the potential economic impact, especially if the corridor cannot be used to move goods,” said Colleen Clemenson, deputy CEO of the San Diego Association. of government. “We believe the loss could be in the billions of dollars.

agency is secure $300 million State funds were used to secure engineering and environmental permits for construction. Clementson said the county also expects to get significant funding from the government. $1 Trillion Federal Infrastructure Bill The goal is to have trains running on the realigned tracks by 2035.

While the city of Del Mar is moving forward with the track relocation, the Orange County Transit Authority, funded by a $5 million state grant, has just begun a study of the costs and impact of relocating the 11-mile track around San Clemente.

At the Breakspeare information hearing, County Transit Authority CEO Darrell Johnson said he was choosing to wait for the results of the investigation before working on tracking the restructuring. “I’m not comfortable claiming relocation is the solution until all parties have considered it,” he said.

Mr. Breakspeare seemed irritated by the hesitation and pressured county officials to take more bold action. “There’s really no option for Orange County not to move these trucks,” she told The Times after the hearing.

Rail Passenger Association Modern passenger railroad advocates in California and Nevada state legislatures long before global warming turned the debate into a crisis, traded reliability and scenery for moving tracks inland. I have supported it for many years.

“It’s a three-hour train ride between Los Angeles and San Diego,” said RailPAC Vice President of Government Affairs Paul Dyson. “Right now, Surfliners carry about 8,000 to 10,000 people a day. That’s a small fraction of the total market.

Mr Dyson argued that track restructuring would not only keep trains out of danger, but would also make passenger rail service faster and more competitive. However, RailPAC argues for a political change of course, as it is difficult for multiple agencies to work together on large-scale projects.

The corridor is governed by an 11-member committee drawn from nine separate transportation and planning agencies.

“This board does not have the significant powers or means to carry out these major projects,” Dyson said. “There are too many different agencies involved to try to make decisions and apply for the different funds that will be needed. This corridor should be put under a unified agency.”

Back in San Clemente, Rathman reasoned that the truck’s future would ultimately require some sort of compromise. For now, she hopes that a temporary wall under Casa Romantica will keep the trains back on time by the end of the summer.

“It’s been a rough year so far, but I’m the type of girl whose cup is half full,” she said. “The June gloom is over and the surfliners will be riding again.”