OCTA Thanks Federal, State Partners for Funding Vital Coastal Rail Corridor Improvements

10/31/2024

During the past two weeks, OCTA has secured a total of $305 million from state and federal sources to move forward on immediate coastal rail stabilization efforts

ORANGE - The Orange County Transportation Authority has secured essential funding this month from state and federal partners that will advance vital enhancements to help stabilize the rail corridor where it runs along the vulnerable coastline through San Clemente.

This week, OCTA learned that the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $100 million in funding from its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. That money comes on top of the announcement last week that the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) awarded $125 million to OCTA's rail improvement efforts through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), and $80 million from the California Transportation Commission's Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP).

OCTA applauds its state and federal partners for the significant funding that, together, will help OCTA deliver critical improvements and implement protective measures along the Orange County coastal section of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor, enhancing the safety and reliability of one of the nation's busiest rail corridors.

Other funding for the reinforcement projects - estimated from $250 million to $340 million - comes from a mix of funding, including OCTA's Measure M, the county's half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.

The planned immediate enhancements focus on a 7-mile span of OCTA-owned railroad right-of-way through San Clemente, with the goal of preventing future emergency track closures and service disruptions.

Because of sliding hillsides on privately owned land above the tracks and coastal erosion on the ocean side, the rail line was forced to close multiple times in the past three years for emergency repairs, resulting in over 12 months of closures combined.

OCTA has been working with its partners and the community to address the issue for the immediate future and for the next approximately 30 years, while continuing to work with partners toward a long-term fix, which could eventually include moving the tracks inland.

An Initial Assessment conducted by OCTA identified urgent needs, which this current funding will support, including addressing four hot spots that could affect the rail line if not reinforced with additional measures such as sand, a catchment wall and rock revetment.

At least 30 community meetings were led by OCTA to gather input from experts and the community. OCTA will continue to refine plans and work with regulatory agencies to obtain all necessary permits. The current timeline calls for the environmental approvals process to begin early next year, with construction set to begin by summer 2026, to be completed by the end of 2027.

OCTA currently owns approximately 40 miles of rail between San Clemente and Fullerton, part of the 351-mile LOSSAN Corridor. The corridor has historically supported nearly 3 million Amtrak Pacific Surfliner riders and 5 million Metrolink and COASTER commuters annually, in addition to carrying over $1 billion in freight across Southern California.

For more information about OCTA's coastal rail improvements, visit www.octa.net/CRRS.

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