The Orange County Transportation Authority is completing a $93 million coastal rail protection project at Mariposa Point in San Clemente, Calif., clearing the way for the reopening of a closed section of the San Clemente Beach Trail.

The project's centerpiece is a nearly 1,400-foot catchment wall built along the bluff side of the tracks, designed to stop falling rocks, soil and debris from reaching the railroad. Construction of the wall and pedestrian trail began in September 2025 as part of OCTA's broader emergency effort to stabilize the coastal rail corridor through San Clemente.

"This project is another example of OCTA delivering our commitment to protect this vital rail connection while also returning a popular recreational amenity to the community," said OCTA Chair Jamey Federico. "Protecting the rail line requires strong partnerships at every level."

Why was the wall needed?

Since 2021, passenger and freight operations on the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) corridor through San Clemente have been interrupted multiple times by coastal bluff failures, beach loss, erosion and deterioration of shoreline protection. The corridor carries Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passenger trains as well as freight and military movements.

The immediate trigger at Mariposa Point was a January 2024 landslide from private property above the rail line. The slide deposited soil and debris on the track and destroyed the city's beach trail bridge, interrupting passenger rail service again.

OCTA and Metrolink responded with a 200-foot protective wall that allowed regular passenger service to resume in March 2024. The project now wrapping up provides more extensive protection along Mariposa Point while rebuilding the beach trail and restoring coastal access. The trail component accounts for roughly $24 million of the total cost, funded primarily from state and federal sources.

What else is OCTA doing on the corridor?

The Mariposa Point work sits inside a wider emergency program covering several vulnerable locations through San Clemente:

• Repairing and reinforcing existing riprap
• Adding up to 690,000 cubic yards of sand to buffer the railroad from wave action
• Constructing new shoreline protection
• Protecting the tracks from bluff movement

In September, the OCTA Board declared an emergency along the coastal rail corridor to accelerate contracting and other actions needed to advance additional protection work. OCTA has secured more than $300 million in state and federal funding for coastal rail stabilization and continues to coordinate with San Clemente and local, state and federal partners.

What comes next?

Beyond the immediate emergency work, OCTA's Coastal Rail Resiliency Study is evaluating strategies to protect roughly seven miles of the coastal rail corridor through Dana Point and San Clemente over the next 30 years. A separate state-led effort will examine longer-term solutions beyond that timeframe.