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Saturated Slope Above San Clemente Coastal Rail Corridor Continues To Slide
An aerial view of a hillside landslide brought on by heavy rains, which caused four ocean view buildings to be evacuated and shuttered due to unstable conditions, on March 16, 2023 in San Clemente, California.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The San Clemente coastal rail corridor saw its slope movement jump by about 10 inches Tuesday, up from 1 to 2 inches before this latest storm. The sliding land comes as crews have continued to try and minimize the storm damage to the rail this winter.
Why it matters: Parts of the track have been covered in a plastic tarp, but even with that protection, rain continued to seep into the already saturated slope, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).
Why now: The Orange County coastal areas got less than 3 inches of rain in the latest storm, but the added moisture is causing more trouble for the rail.
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The backstory: Crews kept an eye on the tracks overnight, but it’s still considered stable and freight trains were scheduled to pass through at reduced speeds.
What's next: The OCTA and Metrolink have tentative plans to start construction to protect the track as soon as next week, including building a wall that’s designed to catch any falling soil or debris. “OCTA will work on a timeline for safely resuming limited passenger rail service as soon as possible,” it said in a statement.
Go deeper:
…to learn more about the coastal rail corridor in San Clemente.
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