High surf forced an emergency shutdown of the coastal rail line through San Clemente, cutting Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Orange and San Diego counties. Encinitas-area riders connecting through Oceanside face bus bridges instead of trains, and the disruption compounds a planned COASTER shutdown this weekend.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) announced the closure Tuesday, Sept. 8, after waves overtopped the tracks and damaged protective rock along the eroding bluffs Monday night. Crews found additional erosion and slope damage near the tracks, according to North Coast Current.

No reopening date has been set.

The closure severs the rail corridor linking Orange and San Diego counties. Metrolink trains are running only as far south as the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station. Pacific Surfliner trains are terminating at San Juan Capistrano. Amtrak is running bus service between Irvine and Oceanside for passengers who need to continue south, according to OCTA.

OCTA said severe high tides are expected through at least Friday, Sept. 11.

Eric Carpenter, an OCTA spokesman, said the agency is still calculating how much riprap is needed as conditions changed rapidly over the weekend. The bluffside was saturated, and the coastal side slope has eroded in spots near the tracks, Carpenter told the Daily News.

"The waves have continued to be a threat to this area," Carpenter said, "just as they have been up and down the coastline in recent days."

In some areas near San Clemente, the rail line sits only about 200 feet from the water, according to Voice of OC. Emergency stabilization has included placement of additional riprap along the tracks and adjacent slope.

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory for Orange and San Diego county beaches through 11 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. Forecasters expected breaking waves of 3 to 6 feet, with sets up to 8 feet at south- and southwest-facing beaches. The high surf stems from tropical storm systems combined with high astronomical tides, the Weather Service said.

The emergency closure compounds a separate, planned shutdown. The North County Transit District (NCTD) announced Sept. 2 that all COASTER service between Oceanside Transit Center and Santa Fe Depot will be suspended Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, for routine maintenance. COASTER is scheduled to return to its normal schedule Monday, Sept. 14, NCTD said.

The Pacific Surfliner advisory page lists a full-corridor shutdown Sept. 12-13 with no train service between Los Angeles and San Diego. Preliminary figures from the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency showed July 2026 on pace to be the highest monthly ridership in Pacific Surfliner history, with more than 300,000 passengers, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Riders can check NCTD's service alerts page for updates on COASTER schedules.