Over the past 20 years, it has become increasingly clear that the 61-mile San Clemente to San Diego segment of the coastal train is unsustainable. The region's coast is eroding at 6 inches annually. The train is a few feet from the bluff's edge in Del Mar and nearly in the surf in San Clemente. Twenty years of armoring at a cost approaching $1 billion have kept the train running most days, although outages are long and frequent.

The Union-Tribune regularly reports on the coastal train and the efforts to relocate the rail away from the coast. Sadly, the stories echo the communications from SANDAG, which offer a steady spin on how essential the train is: "the only rail connection to the rest ...