The Surf Line is a railroad line that runs from San Diego to Orange County along California's Pacific coast. It was so named because much of the line is near the Pacific Ocean, within less than 100 feet (30 m) in some places. It is the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the United States after the Northeast Corridor.
Construction of the Surf Line between Los Angeles and San Diego began on October 12, 1880, with the organization of the California Southern Railroad Company. On January 2, 1882, the California Southern commenced passenger and freight service between National City and Fallbrook Junction, just north of Oceanside.[2] From Oceanside the line turned northeast for a winding route through the Temecula Canyon, and was finished on August 21, 1882.[3] The section through Del Mar was built in 1881 but was originally built on an alignment about a block inland from the ocean. It was moved to its current location, along the seaside bluffs, in 1910, because the grade was less steep and there were fewer crossings.[4]
In 1910, the Fullerton and Richfield Railway built a short cutoff of the San Bernardino–Los Angeles route from Atwood west to Fullerton, giving the Surf Line its northern terminus of Fullerton.[citation needed]
Santa Fe sold the line to local transportation authorities in 1992, with ownership split between the Southern California Regional Rail Authority in Orange County and the San Diego Northern Railway in San Diego County.[8]
Sprinter train departing from OceansidePacific Surfliner 785 passing over Trestles BridgeMetrolink train enters Oceanside stationSouthbound BNSF "daygo" freight train near San Diego
Freight traffic includes military vehicles and equipment to Camp Pendleton and the Navy ports in San Diego.[11] Due to passenger trains running on a daily schedule, BNSF manifest freight trains run through the Surf Line often at night, which is dubbed as the "Daygo".
The Surf Line is the second busiest rail corridor in the United States, after the Northeast Corridor between Washington D.C. and Boston, as the Surf Line hosts the Pacific Surfliner, the third busiest Amtrak route behind the Acela and Northeast Regional, which run on the Northeast Corridor. As trains on the Surf Line traverse speeds up to 90 mph (140 km/h) on portions of the route in Orange County and San Diego County, there are plans to upgrade tracks to Class 6 trackage, which can run at speeds of 110 mph (180 km/h), when funding is available.
About two-thirds of the 60-mile (97 km) segment from the Orange County line to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego has been double-tracked. As one of the nation's busiest corridors, local transportation and planning agencies want to complete the entire section.[12] A 2.6-mile (4.2 km) section of double track between Elvira (SR 52) and Morena (Balboa Avenue) was completed in July 2020. The $192 million project, which began in August 2015, completed 14.6 miles (23.5 km) of double track from San Diego northward.[13]
The segment of the LOSSAN Corridor within San Diego County achieved full implementation of positive train control in December 2018, for all passenger and freight trains operating on this segment.[14]
Due to its location along the beaches of Southern California, the line faces persistent issues due to sea level rise and coastal erosion, exacerbated by climate change. The tracks run atop coastal bluffs some 40 feet (12 m) above the beach for 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in Del Mar.[15] Another segment along the San Clemente coast on a low-lying section of track crosses an ancient, recurring landslide. Aggravated by storms and high tides, waves sometimes crash across these rails at high tide that are close to the surf on the narrow beach.[16] The eroding bluffs above the tracks in at least three locations require temporary closure of the tracks until conditions can be stabilized.[17] Extra funding for maintenance of both sections continues to be sought to keep them in operation as long term solutions are developed.[18]
Del Mar Bluffs
An Israel RailwaysIC3 being tested on the San Diegan, passing over the Del Mar Bluff in July 1996
Coastal erosion eats away at the Del Mar bluffs each year and the rate has accelerated due to sea level rise due to climate change. The bluffs erode by about six inches every year.[4] The bluff has had to be shored up to safely run current operations.[19] Steel beams were driven into the beach at the base of the bluff in September 2020 to stabilize the face of the bluff for 20 or 30 years.[20] In August, the California Coastal Commission had emphasized the need to move the railroad tracks inland as they reviewed the emergency permits for the stabilization work. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is conducting a $3 million study on relocating the rail line.[20] A tunnel under Del Mar, which would cost more than $3 billion, is under consideration.[21] In 2022, $300 million was included in the state budget for the SANDAG so that the project can compete for federal matching funds.[22] Local leaders, including SANDAG’s executive director, showed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg the coastal erosion at the bluffs in October 2022.[23] Del Mar City Council approved a list of guiding principles for the relocation on November 13, 2023.[24] More than a dozen possible routes for the tunnel have been considered by SANDAG. Residents have expressed concerns about the shortest and fastest routed that would take trains beneath residential properties.[25]
San Clemente beach
With extensive beach erosion, waves crashing over the rails damaged the tracks in San Clemente on September 15, 2021. The segment had to be shut down through October 3 as storms and high tides had aggravated the situation.[26][27][21] An extended closure occurred the next year when the segment was closed to passenger traffic on September 29, 2022 due to soil movement; freight traffic continued at lowered speed.[28][29] Additional rock was added between the beach and the railroad tracks after each incident.[16] The passenger rail traffic stop continued as anchors were being placed into bedrock.[30] The line fully reopened in April 2023 but rail service was halted again two miles to the north.[31][32] Falling debris did not damage the tracks but ground movement continued from a landslide involving Casa Romantica on the bluff above.[33] Full service resumed in late May[34] but was halted indefinitely again in early June.[35] During the work closures, freight trains are able to resume at a speed of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) as officials were on site to clear them when it is safe to proceed.[36][37]Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), which owns the section of track,[38] declared an emergency on June 12 to speed up construction of temporary barrier wall at the bottom of the slope.[39] The 250-foot long (76 m) barrier is 12 feet (3.7 m) high with the piles set roughly 32 feet (9.8 m) into the ground.[40] Service resumed on July 19, 2023.[41] The bluffs can become unstable after a rainstorm soaks the slope.[42] Service was suspended on January 25, 2024, due to a landslide from private property north of the San Clemente Pier.[43] Two damaged sections of the Mariposa Pedestrian Bridge on the slope above the tracks had to be removed.[44] California Transportation Commission initially awarded $2 million to clean up the debris and added $7.2 million in February to help repair the rail line.[45] A barrier wall similar to the one at the Casa Romantica slide will be constructed.[46] Limited service through the landslide area resumed on March 6.[47] Full service then resumed on March 25.[48] OCTA says $7 million is needed to study realignment and other possible solutions to protect 7 miles (11 km) of the line along the shore.[49][50] The first study, that started in August 2023, will identify the issues that impact the rail corridor, offer solutions to protect it, and develop the cost of the necessary improvements.[51]
Future
As stated above, sections of the Surf Line in Del Mar and San Clemente will be relocated inland from their current locations to reduce the amount of times of service disruption. This would mean that there would be tunnels inland in San Clemente and Del Mar. There have been plans to upgrade tracks to Class 5 trackage, in which passenger trains can reach up to speeds of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h).
The California High-Speed Rail will run on a brief portion of the Surf Line between Los Angeles and Anaheim as part of its full Phase 1 route. Similarly, for Phase 2 of the California High-Speed Rail, the final portion of the route from Los Angeles to San Diego via the Inland Empire will parallel the Surf Line into San Diego from University City to either San Diego International Airport, Old Town San Diego station, or Santa Fe Depot in San Diego. This plan for the CAHSR Phase 2 has yet to be finalized.
Historic station stops
Many, but not all of these stations currently operate. Many of these stations no longer exist (e.g. Linda Vista) and new ones have opened (e.g. Sorrento Valley). For a list of stations that currently operate, see the articles for Metrolink's Orange County Line and the Coaster or the templates to the right.
^Amtrak's Fiscal Year (FY) runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year.
^Though no set timeline or finalization of the portion of Phase 1 of the California High-Speed Rail between Los Angeles and Anaheim, it is possible that two of the four tracks would be used for passenger trains, which would also include Amtrak intercity trains and Metrolink commuter trains, with the two other tracks for BNSF Railway freight trains.
^While North County Transit District owns the track and right of way in San Diego County, Metrolink only owns the tracks in Orange County, with the right of way owned by the Orange County Transportation Authority[citation needed]
^Replacing MTS bus routes 972, 973, 978, and 979, also known as the Sorrento Valley Coaster Connection (SVCC), effective June 10, 2024.[65][66]
^"Service Update". Metrolink. September 29, 2022. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Richardson, Don (June 2005). "The secret borax train"(PDF). Classic Trains. 6 (2): 36–39. Archived from the original(PDF) on January 11, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
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