Rep. Mike Levin Announces Millions in New Federal Funding to Address LOSSAN Rail Corridor Challenges
Oceanside, CA - Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) today announced millions of dollars in new federal funding to address ongoing challenges that threaten the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor (LOSSAN Corridor), the second busiest rail corridor in the country, amid yet another interruption in service due to a coastal landslide in San Clemente.
Rep. Levin, joined by State Senator Catherine Blakespear, Orange County Supervisor and LOSSAN Agency Board Member Katrina Foley, LOSSAN Agency and North County Transit District Board Chair Jewel Edson, and SANDAG First Vice Chair Lesa Heebner, rode the COASTER commuter train, and visited the landslide in San Clemente that halted rail service just yesterday. They discussed the urgent need to ensure the long-term reliability of the rail tracks in Del Mar and South Orange County impacted by coastal erosion.
Rep. Levin announced that more than $53.8 million in new federal funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go to the North County Transit District (NCTD) to replace the 108-year-old San Dieguito River Railway Bridge. Replacing the bridge is the first step in relocating the rail tracks off the bluffs in the Del Mar section. The replacement bridge will expand from a single track to add one mile of double tracks and raise the height of the tracks by eight feet to account for increased sea level changes. State funds will also help construct a special events platform at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This project will prevent service disruptions and increase passenger train frequencies in the region.
Additionally, Rep. Levin announced that the LOSSAN Corridor was selected for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor ID Program. This will provide Caltrans with a $500,000 grant for planning and development of long-term improvements to the LOSSAN Corridor between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The Corridor ID Program will be critical to unlocking future federal funding sources to prevent further coastal erosion and landslides from impacting service. Funding for both the San Dieguito Bridge project and Corridor ID Program comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Rep. Levin helped pass in 2021.
“When I first entered Congress in 2019, I made securing federal resources for the LOSSAN Corridor, the second busiest intercity passenger rail corridor in the country, a top priority. For decades, the Corridor has been impacted by climate change, coastal erosion, and a lack of funding that threaten its integrity, which we witnessed firsthand this week with the closure caused by another coastal bluff landslide,” said Rep. Levin. “These new funding streams will deliver real results and solutions to help protect the Corridor for years to come. There’s too much at stake.”
“Replacing the 108-year-old San Dieguito River Bridge is a massive win for the region, passengers, and our local economies that rely on freight,” said Rep. Peters. “This funding, along with state and local commitments, will increase reliability and construct a modern bridge above the 100-year flood plain level, making the line more resilient to climate change and severe storms. While there is still much to do to improve the LOSSAN corridor and prevent parts of it from literally falling into the sea, I am glad to have helped secured this necessary funding and hope to make many more similar announcements in the future.”
“I thank Congressman Mike Levin, the federal government and stakeholders such as California Environmental Voters for supporting the LOSSAN rail line and recognizing its importance,” said Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas. “This rail line has potential to efficiently move much larger numbers of people and goods throughout the region, but we need to better manage the line, counter the threats of climate change and strategically plan for the future. That is why the Senate subcommittee I chair has asked the state to take a stronger leadership role and for all stakeholders to come together and work toward a shared vision.”
"Moving the tracks off the bluffs will make the LOSSAN corridor more resilient, increase capacity for passengers and freight, and protect the environment,” said SANDAG Second Vice Chair and Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner. “I am grateful for the strong support from our federal and state leadership in our joint effort to modernize this corridor with key contributions from Congressman Levin, Senate President pro-Tempore Toni Atkins, and Senator Blakespear.”
“This project will be transformative for rail service in San Diego – adding capacity, reducing maintenance costs, and strengthening our infrastructure,” said North County Transit District Board Chair and Deputy Mayor of Solana Beach Jewel Edson. “The current wood trestle bridge is susceptible to flooding and washout. Replacing it will ensure the LOSSAN Corridor is resilient to the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.”
“The LOSSAN Corridor is a critical transportation link moving people and goods throughout San Diego, California and the Nation. Caltrans has a proud history of working with our corridor partners including the Federal Railroad Administration, LOSSAN Agency, NCTD, SANDAG, Metrolink, and others to plan, fund and construct needed improvements in the corridor,” said Acting Caltrans District 11 Director Allan Kosup. “As we saw today, our work is far from done and we look forward to the continued effort of implementing a coordinated pipeline of projects to ensure an integrated, seamless rail network for all Californians.”
“California continues to prioritize investments in critical projects along the LOSSAN rail corridor like the San Dieguito Bridge replacement. With $162 million in state funding committed to the project, strong state support and partnership helped deliver this important federal grant,” said Mark Tollefson, Undersecretary of the California State Transportation Agency. “We are thankful for the Biden-Harris Administration, Congressman Levin and California’s congressional leadership for this strategic investment that will expand capacity and unlock ridership growth throughout the San Diego region.”
Background:
In December 2023, work began on sand replenishment projects in San Clemente, Encinitas, and Solana Beach. These projects will protect the bluffs and rail corridor by placing 1.3 million cubic yards of sand on the beaches and were facilitated by $40 million in federal funding secured by Rep. Levin.
In August 2023, Rep. Levin was joined by Reps. Scott Peters (CA-50) and Juan Vargas (CA-52) on a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation urging for full consideration of North County Transit District’s (NCTD) $53.8 million funding request from the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Opportunity.
In March 2023, Rep. Levin requested $4,000,000 in federal funding to allow the Orange County Transportation Authority to conduct the Coastal Rail Corridor Relocation Study. This study will look longer term at a potential rail line relocation along the coast to an inland alignment between San Juan Capistrano and San Onofre State Beach, spanning 11 miles.
In March 2023, Rep. Levin sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation urging full consideration of LOSSAN’s application to the DOT’s Corridor Identification and Development (ID) Program. The Corridor ID Program aims to guide intercity passenger rail development in the U.S. and create a pipeline of projects ready for implementation and was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In April 2023, Rep. Levin hosted Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose to witness first-hand the transportation and infrastructure challenges facing the LOSSAN Corridor.
In November 2022, Rep. Levin hosted U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to see the challenges facing the LOSSAN Corridor, specifically in Del Mar where the rail line sits on eroding coastal bluffs. Rep. Levin, Secretary Buttigieg, and local officials rode the COASTER commuter train from San Diego to Solana Beach and discussed the urgent need to secure the bluffs and relocate a section of the tracks. They also discussed the temporary closure of rail service in San Clemente due to coastal erosion.
In November 2021, Rep. Levin voted in support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes the largest investment in rail since Amtrak’s creation. For more information on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is addressing California’s infrastructure needs, click here.
In 2020, Rep. Levin helped secure a federal grant of $11.5 million from the Department of Transportation for SANDAG and the North County Transit District to stabilize the eroding coastal bluffs in Del Mar. That funding announcement followed a letter Rep. Levin led with the San Diego Congressional Delegation to the DOT urging the agency to award funding for the Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization project.
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