(CNS) — State officials Wednesday approved nearly $10 million for improvements to the coastal rail system, which has been beset by erosion that forced the shutdown of train traffic along the coast.
The California Transportation Commission held an emergency meeting to approve $9.98 million for improvements along the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo — or LOSSAN — rail corridor.
The money is earmarked for the Orange County Transportation Authority's Coastal Rail Infrastructure Resiliency Project for seven miles of rail that has often been shut down due to erosion.
"The LOSSAN rail corridor is an integral part of California's transportation system," said Darnell Grisby, the commission's chairman. "The investments we are making today will reduce future emergency closures and provide more reliability for over 150 daily passenger trains and more than $1 billion in freight that moves through the corridor annually."
The money will help pay for construction of a catchment wall along Mariposa Point and a revetment, seawall, or other type of structure south of San Clemente State Beach, officials said.
"Millions of Californians rely on our nation's second busiest intercity passenger rail corridor for vital transport to and from work, family and essential services," California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said. "Today's critical investment, which was only made possible through the close cooperation among our many partners, underscores our shared urgency in ensuring a reliable and resilient railroad that will improve the lives of Californians."
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