Del Mar bluff collapse halts coastal train service

DEL MAR - A bluff collapse temporarily halted train service Monday, Dec. 10 on a stretch of ocean-front rails in northern San Diego County.

A roughly 30-foot-wide chunk of earth sloughed off the cliff between Ninth and Tenth streets in Del Mar about 8:45 a.m., said Jon Edelbrock, director of community services for the coastal city.

The bluff failure, which was witnessed by several surfers, caused no known injuries or structural damage, though it did take out part of a walking path on top of the cliff, Edelbrock said.

Due to the close proximity of train tracks in the area, North County Transit District officials suspended rail service between Sorrento Valley and Solana Beach to allow for a safety inspection. Finding no safety hazards, the agency resumed passenger-train runs in the area about an hour later.

Several other non-injury bluff collapses have occurred in the same general vicinity in recent months.