SAN DIEGO — If you're planning to take the train from San Diego to Orange County, you should know a bluff collapse in San Clemente has stopped service indefinitely.
A landslide damaged part of the Casa-Romantica Cultural Center, sending dirt and debris down the hillside Thursday. Crews are working to stabilize the coastline.
"They put Casa Romantica there a hundred years ago on the edge of the cliff - to get that to last 100 years - they were incredibly lucky," said Dr. Pat Abbot, geologist and Professor Emeritus at San Diego State University. "You see the debris is almost down to it and you see the cliffs are still up there unstable. I expect more to come down on those cliffs."
Abbot said buttressing the area with concrete is a good start but doesn’t deliver permanent results.
“Mother Nature still does her work. Whether it's a concrete wall or a concrete patio, erosion is still going on. They always try to tell us this is the second busiest rail corridor in the United States. Well, if it's that serious, grow up and move it inland where we don't have these problems," Abbot said.
If this sounds familiar, it is.
Less than 5 miles away from San Clemente’s landslide, service returned between San Diego and LA earlier this month after more than $13 million went to stabilizing a different set of cliffs nearby. Passenger trains were halted for months because of a previous landslide.
"The last one (interruption in service) was going to be 2 or 3 days and it turned out to be 6 months," Abbot said.
This time, Metrolink says the suspension of service is out of an abundance of caution and will be reopened when it is safe.
Amtrak temporarily suspended Friday, April 28 between Irvine and San Diego.
Abbot told CBS 8, it's not a matter of if there will be a next landslide but when, and rail companies need to get ready.
“It's a geologically unstable area and they need to get the train tracks out of there. You're fighting a losing battle anytime you try to have a human structure stay on the coastline," he said.
This weekend, there will be no service between Los Angeles and San Diego. If you were planning to travel or had reservations, Amtrak says they will make accommodations for you.
WATCH RELATED: Landslide shuts down commuter train service after debris is seen rolling down hillside