The Desert Line rehabilitation will be an opportunity for the maquiladora industry in the region regarding transportation logistics. The reopening of this old route will become a new alternative for freight movement to the East Coast of the United States.
The Desert Line has a length of 70.06 miles from Tecate to Plaster City, consisting of 57 bridges that go from 9 feet to 650 feet tall, and 17 tunnels with a length from 174 feet up to 2,602 feet long, all clearing up a height from 21´7” to 24´11”.
In the agreement, BJRR will have the responsability to operate, maintain, and rehabilitate the existing RailRoad Track from Tecate Mexico/ Tecate Mile Post to Coyote Wells, while PIR will rehabilitate the from Coyote Wells to Plaster City, connecting with one of the main RailRoad systems in the United States.
This event is the result of a combined effort that demonstrates the importance of strengthening the binational relations between both countries.
The Desert Line will be a new freight route that increases the freight capacities offering more logistical opportunities, reducing truck traffic in Mexico and the Unites States.
Facts to consider:
- Daily, there is a trade of $ 2.1 million dollars between San Diego and Tijuana.
- 135,000 cars and 6,200 truck cross from Mexico to the United State daily at the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Tecate Port of Entry, with an estimate of a 2-hour border wait.
An estimated 6 billion dollars are lost annually due to border delays of trucks carrying freight.
