A historical alliance between, Baja California Railroad Inc. (BJRR), and Pacific Imperial Railroad (PIR), with the endorsement of the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) an agreement was settled to rehabilitate the Railroad track known as “Desert Line”, which will be able to connect the rail system of Tijuana-Tecate with the railing system on the East Coast of the United States, increasing the coverage of freight and logistics service.
The rehabilitation of the Desert Line is an opportunity for the maquiladora industry to optimize freight logistics costs, and to connect with the East and Central park of the United States, and from there to the rest of the world.
The Desert Line has a length of 70.06 miles that starts in Tecate and ends in Plaster City, consisting of 56 bridges that go from 9 feet to 650 feet tall, and 17 tunnels.
Rehabilitation work involving tunnels and bridges is expected to start this summer, ending approximately in 18 months.
BJRR President Fernando Beltran Rendon said: “This project allows the construction of a binational rail for freight efficiency, from raw material to finished products, that will resolve a lot of problems, this will generate an important economic benefit to the region in both countries.”
In the agreement BJRR has the commitment of rehabilitating, conserving and operating from Tecate, Mexico/ Tecate Mile Post to Coyote Wells, while PIR will rehabilitate the rails from Coyote Wells to Plater City, connecting with one of the main railing systems in the United States.
Fernando Beltran Rendon said: “Currently, 6,200 trucks cross the border daily leaving a carbon footprint; with the commercial border delay, there is a loss of a 6 billion dollars, and this project comes to resolve that big part of the problem”.
To conclude, Fernando Beltran said: “This event is the result of a combine effort that demonstrates once more the importance of strengthening the binational relations of both countries.” He finished. “The Desert Line is a new shipment route that increases the freight capacities to offer better logistical opportunities, reducing the truck traffic in Mexico and the United States.”
