Based on national policy, no particular segment of tracks is vital enough that the military would intervene to maintain the tracks, which should tell everyone exactly how important the San Diego Segment is for national defense.
Author Archives: Toni Nelson
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Nelson: Trains vs. Beaches – A Ridership Reality Check
OCTA is proposing taxpayers fund coastal armoring with beach-destroying boulders to the tune of $200M in an attempt to preserve a doomed rail line serving few passengers.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Girand and Nelson: Coastal Conflict, Trains or Beaches?
OCTA plans to spend $200 million this summer to armor parts of 7 miles of endangered coastline in San Clemente and Dana Point using riprap boulders that exacerbate erosion. Coastal advocates are demanding environmental reviews and a thorough cost/benefit analysis before South Orange County beaches are obliterated.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Quirk and Nelson: Should Taxpayers Spend $5 Million per Rider to Relocate Coastal Rail?
Residents in San Clemente and Del Mar are demanding rail agencies stop destroying beaches with hard armoring and provide a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to justify $20 billion for 2 tunnels to replace eroding railroad segments that carry little freight and mostly empty passenger trains.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Nelson: Runaway Freight Expansion on a Crumbling Coast – Derailing a Bad Idea
Railroad executives are selling the public on rail infrastructure expansion purportedly needed for unproven passenger demand, but BNSF’s plans to push 22 freight trains a day along the SoCal coast has alarmed residents suspecting a different motive.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Nelson: How Many Rocks Will it Take to Hold Back the Pacific?
Between a 29-inch track deflection and waves slapping trains in San Clemente to serious landslides in Del Mar, does endless band aiding of coastal rail make sense?
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Nelson: Metrolink’s $50 Million Serra Siding Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test
Metrolink wants taxpayers to add a $50 million second track along two rapidly eroding public beaches, impacting 7 Capistrano Beach hotels, over 1 million annual beachgoers, 7,000 residents and numerous local businesses. Ridership through this segment has been flat since 2010 and is now about 3% of capacity. No local needs assessment has been provided.
