Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service likely disrupted until at least mid-December

Service could return to a portion of the popular Pacific Surfliner route before the end of the year, officials say, as crews conduct emergency work along a section of the track.

The Pacific Surfliners service on the south side of Los Angeles was suspended indefinitely. The commuter trains in the area were stopped due to the coastal erosion underneath the tracks.

The emergency track work has disrupted the section between Irvine and Oceanside, so passengers looking to connect between the two stops need to take a bus. The Pacific Surfliner route has been broken into three separate parts due to the problems: train service from Irvine, north, bus service between Irvine and Oceanside, and train service from Oceanside, south.

The 351-mile route gives passengers views of beaches and rolling hills while connecting them with major southern California destinations from San Diego at the southern end of the route.

Coastal erosion to blame

Over the past 13 months, the hillside underneath the tracks in San Clemente has slipped some 28 inches due to storm surge and erosion.

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A multi-million dollar project is underway to correct problems with the land and tracks. There is no passenger train service currently in the area.

The timetable calls for the work to be done by January, but officials hope to have train service back by mid-December. It is possible that unforeseen circumstances could delay the reopening of the track.

Temporary solutions

The route between Irvine and Oceanside is being used for bus service while the tracks are being worked on.

There will be limited train service to and from San Juan Capistrano which is south of Irvine but north of the affected area. You can catch the bus at Irvine if you want to connect between the northern and southern corridors.

Check this page for updates on how you can navigate the disruptions.

Bottom line

You won't be able to ride the route end-to-end for a couple of more months because of work on the southern section. If you are going to ride any part of the route south of Los Angeles, you need to keep an eye on the latest updates from Amtrak.

You can read more.