Trains Won’t Operate Due To Urgent Track Repair In San Clemente
If you’re planning on taking Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner between Los Angeles and San Diego the next few weeks, then you will need to change your plans and find an alternate way to travel between the two cities.
This is due to the fact that the track in San Clemente has shifted and is undergoing immediate repairs. This means Amtrak, Metrolink and the BNSF freight trains cannot go any further south than the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station and or further north than Oceanside.
San Diego’s Coaster commuter train, which operates mornings and afternoons between the Sante Fe station and Oceanside, is not affected. Amtrak will be offering bus service around the closed-down areas.
“The work began today (Sept. 16) and will continue through at least Oct. 4,” said Paul Gonzales, a spokesman for Metrolink, the Orange County commuter rail service.
An alternative to taking Amtrak – other than driving, of course – is the Flix bus, which costs as low as $10 for service between Old Town San Diego and Union Station or the Westside. However, my one experience on it was not a good one when the bus broke down five miles into the trip.
“Between the effects of the sand, the sea and the earth, that section of the track has moved a little bit,” Gonzales said. “We did have plans to work on that section of the track next month, but it became necessary to do it now.”
It is certainly better to fix the problem before it becomes a big problem. Although any travelers that were hoping to take that scenic Southern California coastal ride will have to wait until October.
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