RailPAC board member from San Diego, George Chilson submitted the below letter to the February 28, 2025 San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors meeting as comment to the agenda item #9, about alternative alignments for rerouting the LOSSAN railroad track off of the Del Mar Bluffs. Here is SANDAG’s February 2025 map showing the alternative alignments being considered:
Dear Chair Heebner and Board Members:
I am a resident of San Diego County and a frequent passenger on Pacific Surfliner. I greatly appreciate SANDAG’s leadership in protecting and improving the LOSSAN Rail Corridor infrastructure, especially the Del Mar tunnel/rail realignment project. By moving this vital raillineoff of the crumbling Del Mar bluffs into a protected tunnel alignment, SANDAG will ensure that the nation’s 2nd-busiest intercity rail corridor will continue to serve many generations in the future. Moreover, the double track through Del Mar that the tunnel will enable is a key improvement that will make train service on the LOSSAN Corridor even more attractive to travelers who will want to avoid the intractable congestion on I-5. Experience has demonstrated that adding more lanes never “eases congestion” for long. What people need are better choices that will allow them to avoid it. Surfliner and Coaster can be those choices.
RailPAC strongly supports the alternative under Jimmy Durante and Camino Del Mar to Torrey Pines Road. This is the straightest, shortest, and lowest-cost tunnel option. The sections directly under the two streets would cause no more disruption during construction and operations than a subway tunnel under a street as has been done in many major cities worldwide, including in California. We urge SANDAG to futureproof the tunnel by building it to accommodate both an overhead contact system for rail electrification and the tall auto-rack cars that serve the Port of San Diego.
RailPAC also supports the new San Dieguito Lagoon rail bridge and double-track project. Replacement of this 108-year-old wood trestle bridge is of vital importance to regional rail operations, the environment and the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It will provide economic and social benefits for another century.
RailPAC strongly opposes the “San Dieguito to I-5 Knoll’ Alternative(called ‘Values Analysis alternative #14’ or ‘Alternative A’ in prior studies). It is unfortunate that such an unnecessarily costly and harmful alternative is still beingconsidered. It would cause significant damage to the Del Mar fairgrounds and the San Dieguito Lagoon. It is the longest realignment option, has by far the greatest negative impacts and, with a revised estimated cost of up to $9.2 billion, is by far the most expensive – exceeding the cost of the four alternatives SANDAG now recommends.
Our purpose is to ensure that the Del Mar tunnel project is developed in a way that is beneficial for surrounding communities and the region as a whole. The needs of a region of 22 million people to improve mobility and reduce greenhouse gases from transportation make the Del Mar tunnel project a vital and essential infrastructure project.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
George Chilson
Board Member
Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada