While other countries have been zipping along in their bullet trains, rail travel in the U.S. is closer to the steam engine. A transportation planning engineer explains how we got off track.

Though they're not a primary mode for travelers, trains are essential. In the 200 or so years they've existed, they've been used to handle a variety of tasks and have become vital all over the globe.

Train tracks likely to stay on Del Mar bluffs for decades even if another route is added Defense Department, Amtrak and freight obligations could prevent removal, transit official says.