More land slides beneath Casa Romantica, trains stopped through San Clemente again

More land is sliding under San Clemente's Casa Romantica estate, prompting rail service through the south Orange County beach city to be stopped again.

The slide was discovered at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, June 5, when a track safety crew from Metrolink noticed debris and soil spilling down the slope and on the tracks, said Scott Johnson, a company spokesman. Metrolink works closely with city officials and the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks through Orange County.

The safety crews have been monitoring the tracks since they were first closed on April 27, when the movement of hillside below the historic landmark was noticed. The tracks were closed to all trains, then freight service was allowed to resume at night, and passenger service resumed again on May 27, just before the popular Memorial Day weekend.

As part of the precautions taken by Metrolink, rail safety inspectors have been on site to watch for any ground movement or other evidence of instability before either the freight or passenger trains were allowed to transit through the area beneath eroding bluff.

"We had early morning service to and from Oceanside," Johnson said. "They were performing the duties when they saw the debris fall."

Metrolink will work with officials from the city and OCTA to determine the next steps, he said. In the meantime, the rail service is suspended indefinitely for both passenger and freight trains.

The halt through San Clemente affected some trains coming from San Diego north and from Los Angeles to the south. Metrolink is offering reimbursement on valid fares.

For the last few weeks, city contractors have been working to stabilize and smooth the bluff by compacting it. On Sunday night, crews were doing final touches and had planned to install an inclinometer to get a better read for future stabilization plans.

"Despite the fact that we thought the soil was fairly stable, this morning at 7 a.m., cracks appeared and about a 6-foot section of the slope fell down to the tracks," said San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan. "It's a sandy, clay material and we may have to remove the entire material. We can only do so much if it doesn't stick together; that's what we’ve got."

Duncan said city officials are waiting for geotechnical experts to give further guidance, but they believe that it will be critical to get to the next stage of stabilization "sooner than later."

He also said that the long-term fix could cost tens of millions of dollars that the city doesn't have.

"It's going to need state and federal funding," he said. "We don't have a capacity in the city to pay for that."

Train traffic through San Clemente had been previously halted by damage to the tracks further south and had only resumed in April after several months of emergency repairs.

"There are more days this year where passenger rail service in San Clemente was suspended than not," Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley, who is also a director on the OCTA board, said. "I’ve requested that our team work urgently to create a barrier next to the tracks to protect the railroad from falling debris and continue service," she said. "For our local economy and way of life to flourish, we cannot afford for these disruptive service suspensions to continue."

Meanwhile, officials with the Casa Romantica were told areas previously cleared for use by the public could remain open at the cultural center.

"Everything reopened as of Memorial Day will still remain open," Executive Director Amy Behrens said. "We have our first wedding happening on Saturday."

On Tuesday, the casa will resume its normal hours, opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. through Thursday. Friday through Sunday, the center is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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