Amid crumbling cliffs, California's Orange County considers moving its famously scenic rail line inland
LOS ANGELES — It's among the nation's most iconic and heavily utilized passenger rail lines, linking Southern California's cities via a stunning coastal route. From the grassy headlands of San Luis Obispo to Orange County's wide-open beaches and San Diego's oceanside bluffs, the so-called Lossan rail corridor is famous for its breathtaking views of the pounding Pacific.
But can it last?
Between crumbling bluffs and relentless beach erosion, regular passenger service along the Lossan (short for Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo) corridor has been shut down in southern Orange County for all but a few weeks since last September. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train has shifted to replacement buses that ferry passengers through traffic and sprawl further inland, while Metrolink has simply stopped serving key tourist destinations such as San Clemente.
A growing chorus of Orange County elected officials and transportation leaders are asking whether it's time to abandon portions of the coastal route for good, moving the tracks inland to areas that are
