SAN DIEGO - SANDAG is moving forward with plans for a train tunnel through Del Mar.
The agency has narrowed down the options to move the busy freight and passenger rail line away from the crumbling ocean bluffs to two plans, both of which would construct a tunnel under or near Del Mar. But the idea still has residents of many multi-million dollar homes in the area a bit worried.
The state awarded a $300 Million grant to help begin the environmental review and initial engineering but the San Diego Union-Tribune project could cost upwards of about four billion dollars. The crumbling cliffs have been an issue since LOSSAN (Los Angeles-San Diego) Corridor, also known as the Surf Line, was built in the late 1800s, but numerous collapses in recent years and pedestrian deaths has prompted officials to look into moving the rail line.
About $1 Billion worth of goods and some eight million passengers travel on the Surf Line each year.