State gives $7M+ to repair Los Angeles to San Diego rail line damaged by landslide

The California Transportation Commission awarded Orange County $7.2 million to help repair the rail line that connects Los Angeles to San Diego, the county's transit authority announced on Friday.

A landslide in San Clemente damaged a bridge and sent boulders and debris onto train tracks in late January. The landslide shut down Metrolink and Amtrak service through the impacted area. The track is owned by the Orange County Transportation Authority and maintained by Metrolink.

As crews work to clear the rail line, the plan now is to use the new funding to build a wall along the hillside at Mariposa Point.

The $7.2 million is in addition to $2 million awarded to the county previously in order to clean up debris and prepare the area for construction, the OCTA said.

The goal is to resume passenger rail service as soon as possible. There is still no timeline for when the rail service will resume.