They'll keep talking about it, and spending a few tens of millions every couple of years for repairs, until the billions appear to do the tunnels. That's because nothing but an inland tunnel makes sense.

Spending a couple hundred million to make an ugly trench on the cliffs is a real headscratcher of an idea. The ocean already owns that property. And it'll own more within the life of the railroad (you have to think decades if not centuries ahead with railroad projects) unless it moves well inland and higher in elevation.

The most recent plans (thanks for the link Bob!) seem to be focusing on the tunnels. Good. Same thing needs to be done in San Clemente - general plans exist in the LOSSAN studies done nearly 20 years ago to move it adjacent to I-5, partly in tunnel. That needs to be done too, before sea level rise gets critical along the beach-side tracks.