Daily Amtrak service resumes between Central Coast and Southern California

After six months, Amtrak has reopened a section of train tracks in Orange County, allowing riders to again ride the Pacific Surfliner from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

This reopens Pacific Surfliner service all the way to San Luis Obispo.

During the rail repairs, passengers needed to take a bus connection between the Irvine and Oceanside stations, according to Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner page.

The daily schedule will remain the same during weekdays and weekends, with 10 daily round trips between Los Angeles and San Diego.

The tracks have been closed since October 2022, and repairs were originally planned to last only until November.

The closure was due to a track-stabilization project to restore the rails south of San Clemente, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Although the Orange County section is now open, construction is expected to continue in the area through June. Remaining work includes installing permanent fencing between the slope and railroad tracks.

This stretch of track is a part of a 351-mile railway that runs between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority. It is used for passengers and freight trains, moving $1 billion in goods annually.

For more information and construction updates on schedules, visit PacificSurfliner.com and MetrolinkTrains.com.

This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 10:54 AM.