SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (KABC) — In Orange County, the rain has caused a hillside to collapse.
Photos show the slope of a hillside in San Clemente on Vista Montana Avenue collapsed. The location is near Lobo Elementary School.
This winter’s storms have caused similar problems elsewhere in San Clemente.
Part of a Metrolink train line connecting Los Angeles to San Diego has been closed since a Jan. 24 landslide covered the tracks.
Passenger train service through the area was halted as repair work is done to the hillside. Freight trains had been allowed to pass on a limited basis at night, with frequent inspections of the track. On Tuesday, rail authorities said freight service was also being halted after more movement was observed on the hillside.
The state is providing $7 million to help with repairs in the area and work to shore up the hillside and prevent falling debris from reaching the tracks.
In the meantime, rail passengers are being rerouted on buses through the area.
Passengers – some of them commuters and students who use the line on a daily basis – told Eyewitness News the rerouting is an inconvenience that significantly lengthens the time of their commutes.
“Coming from Solano Beach, you’re only on the train for 10 minutes,” said Stefano Cefalu, a San Diego student. “So it’s just kind of silly to get on a train for 10 minutes, get off and be on a bus for the rest of the time.”
It’s not clear when passenger rail service might resume.
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