{{Short description|Mexican Class III freight railroad}} {{Infobox rail | name = Baja California Railroad | other_name = | logo = | logo_size = | logo_alt = | system_map = | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = | image = BJRR 3905 at Estacion Garcia.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = BJRR 3905, an [[EMD GP30|EMD GP39-3]], in García station, [[Tijuana]] | franchise = | nameforarea = | regions = | secregions = | fleet = | stations = 5 | stationsop = | parent_company = ADMICARGA | headquarters = Av. Ferrocarril #1, [[Colonia (Mexico)|Col.]] Libertad Parte Baja<br />[[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]] | founders = | key_people = | marks = BJRR | locale = Northwestern Baja California | start_year = {{Start date|2010}} | end_year = present<!-- For currently operating lines, use "present". For defunct lines, use {{End date|YYYY}} --> | predecessor_line = <!-- "predecessors" can also be used; will make label plural. --> | successor_line = <!-- "successors" can also be used; will make label plural. --> | gauge = <!-- {{Track gauge|Standard gauge}} --> | old_gauge = | electrification = | length = | tracklength = | notrack = | speed = | elevation = | website = {{URL|bajarr.com/en/|bajarr.com}} | embedded = | map = {{Baja California Railroad|inline=yes}} | map_state = collapsed | map_name = }}
'''Baja California Railroad, Inc.''' {{reporting mark|BJRR}} is a [[class III railroad]] operating in the northwest of [[Baja California]], interchanging with [[San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad]] in [[San Ysidro]], [[California]]. After rehabilitation efforts are completed on the Desert Line portion of the railroad, an interchange is also planned with the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in [[Plaster City, California]].
The railroad is managed by ADMICARGA ({{lang|es|Administradora de la [[shortline railway|Vía Corta]] Tijuana-[[Tecate]]|italic=no}}), a Baja California government entity. It does not connect to any other railroads in Mexico's rail system.
== Operations == BJRR's biggest clients are Z Gas, North StarGas, Empacadora Rosarito, and [[Heineken Brewery]] in [[Tecate]], which receives large amounts of grain and corn syrup imports.<ref>{{cite web|title=Promueve Baja Rail Road transporte de carga en tren|url=http://www.diariotijuana.info/promueve-baja-rail-road-transporte-de-carga-en-tren/|first=Roberto|last=Santillán|publisher=Diario Tijuana|date=October 4, 2015|access-date=November 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118143530/http://www.diariotijuana.info/promueve-baja-rail-road-transporte-de-carga-en-tren/|archive-date=November 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Other clients receive shipments such as borax, pig lard, lumber, steel, paper, and cattle feed.<ref name="competitividad">{{cite web|title=Aumentará competitividad de B.C. con obras de la vía corta|url=http://www.diariotijuana.info/aumentara-competitividad-de-b-c-con-obras-de-la-via-corta/|first=Roberto|last=Santillán|publisher=Diario Tijuana|date=October 11, 2015|access-date=November 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118140346/http://www.diariotijuana.info/aumentara-competitividad-de-b-c-con-obras-de-la-via-corta/|archive-date=November 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== History == Operations began in 2012, using {{convert|71.48|km}} of the former track of the {{lang|es|Ferrocarril [[Tijuana]] y [[Tecate]]|italic=no}}, which was constructed in 1910 by the [[San Diego & Arizona Railway]] from [[San Diego]] to [[El Centro]]. The BJRR is the technical operating and maintenance assistant of the rail line's Baja California segment under agreement from the railroad's operator, ADMICARGA.{{cn|date=March 2026}}
In February 2013, the local Baja California directors of BJRR announced an investment of $20 million to upgrade the neglected track.<ref name="competitividad"/> The first area to be developed was the first {{convert|20|km}} from the border in Tijuana to El Florido as far as Matanuco. Work started in May 2013 with the building of the Tijuana railroad yard; the focus was on more track capacity, in conjunction with the upcoming ''San Ysidro Freight Rail Yard'' Improvement Project by [[SANDAG]].
In June 2016, Baja California Railroad secured a 100-year lease with the [[San Diego Metropolitan Transit System]] (SDMTS) to rehabilitate and operate an additional {{convert|112.75|km}} of track in the [[United States]] between [[Campo, California]] and [[Plaster City, California]]. The line, with 57 bridges and 17 tunnels, will be rehabilitated in three phases: Phase 1, Campo to [[Jacumba Hot Springs, California]]; phase 2, Dos Cabezas (near [[Ocotillo Wells, California]]) to Plaster City; and phase 3, from Jacumba to Dos Cabezas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bajarr.com/en/desert-line/|title=DESERT LINE {{!}} Baja Railroad|website=www.bajarr.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-03-08}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=September 2019}} The railroad paid SDMTS $1 million per year to retain its lease;<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Joshua Emerson |date=7 February 2019 |title=Baja Railroad's overhaul of MTS-owned Desert Line appears stuck in the sand |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-desert-line-update-20190207-story.html |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=7 September 2019 }}</ref> Baja California Railroad stopped paying SDMTS beginning in 2020, breaking its lease.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=James Emerson |date=13 November 2021 |title=San Diego MTS determined to rehab 'Impossible Railroad' despite latest setback in the desert |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/transportation/story/2021-11-13/mts-desert-line-rehab |work=San Diego Union-Tribune |location= |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
In 2025, ADMICARGA began work on plans to build a train processing facility in Tijuana to enable trains with products assembled in Baja California to enter the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rivera |first1=Salvador |title=Trains full of freight could soon cross into the US from Tijuana |url=https://www.borderreport.com/news/trade/trains-full-of-freight-could-soon-cross-into-the-us-from-tijuana/ |website=[[Border Report]] |access-date=13 March 2026 |date=20 May 2025}}</ref>
== Route and stations ==
[[File:Estaciones BJRR.jpg|thumb|400px|Map of the line, with its four stations. {{lang|es|B.C.}} stand for {{lang|es|Baja California}}.]]
===Tijuana Station=== Tijuana Station is located immediately to the south of the US [[San Ysidro Port of Entry]]. The station is now in a {{convert|1000|m2|adj=on}} three-story building that contains new administrative offices, an operations and logistics control center, offices for ADMICARGA (the railroad's operator), customs control, a customs agency (broker), the Mexican [[Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development]], and the State Committee of Vegetable Sanitation (CESV). There is also space for sixty-eight {{convert|60|ft|adj=on}} cars.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buscan mejorar vía férrea de Tijuana-Tecate|url=http://www.el-mexicano.com.mx/informacion/noticias/1/3/estatal/2015/08/30/880713/buscan-mejorar-via-ferrea-de-tijuana-tecate|first=Adán|last=Mondragón|publisher=El Mexicano|date=August 30, 2015|access-date=November 25, 2015|archive-date=July 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710213845/http://www.el-mexicano.com.mx//informacion/noticias/1/3/estatal/2015/08/30/880713/buscan-mejorar-via-ferrea-de-tijuana-tecate|url-status=dead}}</ref> The original railway station, built in the late 1920s, will become a railway museum.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
===García Station=== García Station is farther east, near [[La Mesa (Tijuana)|La Mesa]] of Tijuana municipality. It has a {{convert|470|m2|adj=on}} two-story building with a reception area and offices for customer service, administration, and logistics. Also, after renovations, the storage capacity was increased to {{convert|3400|m2}}, of which {{convert|435|m2}} is for cold storage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buscan mejorar vías del ferrocarril para aumentar competitividad mega región|url=http://eltijuanense.com/index.php/9-noticias/tijuana/15564-buscan-mejorar-vias-del-ferrocarril-para-aumentar-competitividad-mega-region|publisher=El Tijuanense|date=August 31, 2015|access-date=November 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118165429/http://eltijuanense.com/index.php/9-noticias/tijuana/15564-buscan-mejorar-vias-del-ferrocarril-para-aumentar-competitividad-mega-region|archive-date=2015-11-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Tijuana–Tecate tourist train== In addition to freight trains, the Baja California Railroad's track is also used by the '''Tijuana–Tecate tourist train''' ({{langx|es|Tren Turístico Tijuana-Tecate}}).<ref name=BajaCaliforniaGob>{{cite web |title=Tren Turístico Tijuana - Tecate {{!}} RETYS |url=https://retys.bajacalifornia.gob.mx/Portal/TyS/1242?temaId=22 |website=retys.bajacalifornia.gob.mx |publisher=Government of [[Baja California]] |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref><ref name=FedGob>{{cite web |title=SIDURT Gobierno de Baja California |url=http://www.sidue.gob.mx/Noticias/Nota.aspx?id=256 |website=www.sidue.gob.mx |publisher=[[Federal government of Mexico]] |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref> This service consists of a round trip from [[Baja California Railroad#García Station|García Station]] to [[Tecate]].<ref name=BajaCaliforniaGob/><ref name=FedGob/> Rolling stock consists of vintage [[Gallery Car]]s (described by ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]'' as a "60-year old double decker train") hauled by one of the BJRR's locomotives.<ref name=Mendoza+Tamayo>{{cite web |last1=Tamayo |first1=Alejandro |last2=Mendoza |first2=Alexandra |title=All aboard! The beloved Tijuana-Tecate tourist train returns. |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/4ron-ijke0m-123 |website=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |access-date=12 February 2024 |language=en |date=2 February 2024}}</ref>
The tourist train has been active since at least 2009.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Omar Millan |title=Tijuana-to-Tecate rail tour has been picking up steam |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-tijuana-to-tecate-rail-tour-has-been-picking-up-2010oct03-story.html |website=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |access-date=12 February 2024 |date=3 October 2010 |quote="According to the railway administration [ie, ADMICARGA], from Oct. 24, 2009, to Aug. 21 of this year, the Tijuana-Tecate tourist train made 12 trips with a total of almost 4,000 passengers."}}</ref> The train's operations were suspended from 2020 to 2023, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name=Mendoza+Tamayo/>
However, in December 2023, [[Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda]], the [[Governor of Baja California]], announced that the tourist train would return on January 27, 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tijuana-Tecate Tourist Train Returns |url=https://mexicobusiness.news/mobility/news/tijuana-tecate-tourist-train-returns |website=Mexico Business |date=29 December 2023 |access-date=12 February 2024 |language=en |quote="...Marina del Pilar Ávila, announced that the tourist train will start operations on Jan. 27, 2024."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Baja California también tendrá su tren turístico, arrancará su recorrido de Tijuana a Tecate en enero del 2024 |url=https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/baja-california-tambien-tendra-su-tren-turistico-arrancara-su-recorrido-de-tijuana-a-tecate-en-enero-del-2024/ |website=[[El Universal (Mexico City)|El Universal]] |language=es}}</ref> As promised, the train would run again on January 27<ref>{{cite web |title=Tren Turístico Tijuana-Tecate 27 Enero 2024 |url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=BC.ADMICARGA&set=a.395728726185289&locale=en |website=[[Facebook]] |publisher=ADMICARGA |access-date=12 February 2024 |language=Spanish |date=29 January 2024}}</ref><ref name=Caro>{{cite web |last1=Caro |first1=Jorge |title=EL TREN LLEGÓ CARGADO DE TURISTAS A TECATE 🚂 |url=https://www.facebook.com/BC.ADMICARGA/posts/394749069616588?__cft__[0]=AZX7rM4Kny9o_uKRq1c1KX2KEg4TIvNuTHlETFd_eYsP1xaab5p2EXf96lYMGd7DXQw6iw0vRQEyOpIUJp4jDNnaJQkCMucmvUASLSP5KlhdZzHlQ584KgvYdm3fjCUgLGRa38hXVz_qRZ36xa1N-zcmIQ_ZIyrpSn8txAChKNVhZWVIFSC4pCQrlC0ijuB0y9s7TiGacO4i50u81p0n6hz0&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R |website=[[Facebook]] |publisher=Radar Tecate |access-date=12 February 2024 |language=Spanish |date=27 January 2024}}</ref> that year,<ref name=Mendoza+Tamayo/> and another run, with a [[Valentine's Day]] theme, is scheduled to happen on February 17.<ref name=Caro/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mendoza |first1=Alexandra |title=The Tijuana-Tecate tourist train is back. Hop aboard for music, history and that namesake beer |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/story/2024-02-03/tijuana-tecate-tourist-train |website=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |access-date=12 February 2024 |date=3 February 2024}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{California railroads}}
[[Category:Railway companies established in 2010]] [[Category:Railway companies of Mexico]] [[Category:Standard-gauge railways in Mexico]]