| Posted by Tom on February 17, 2015 | |
Very interesting photo and write-up, but what does an "embargoed" rail-line mean ?? Safety reasons, money reasons, red tape reasons ????
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| Posted by Kibu on February 17, 2015 | |
Closed due to no need of rail traffic. Usually means the company wants to stop using it, but keep it in place in case there's a future need. Similar to abandoning, but without turning the property over to the state.
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Wild scene - though, you have to wonder, did their double stacks really lean that much? ; )
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The line is owned by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Authority and they bought it from SP. SP had tried to abandon it after a hurricane caused substantial damage in 1976, however the ICC denied the abandonment petition. The transit authority went through with a purchase agreement for the whole line from SD to Plaster City, primarily for the track between San Diego and San Yisidro which they planned on using for the trolley ROW to the international border. The rest of the line was sort of a step child that the transit authority could care less about and they have tried to keep it rented to freight RR's that would run it, but the line dips into Mexico between Division and San Yisidro and dealing with a Mexican operating company causes other problems. As it stands now, the rights to the line are embroiled in an investment controversy that is looking more like a Ponzi scheme as the facts become known. Currently the investors are making their rent payments to MTS, but the completion dates for track inspection and the mile posts for infrastructure rehabilitation have all been missed. Only time will tell whether the RR ever rolls again.
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| Posted by Tom on February 18, 2015 | |
Thanks much for your explanatory comments. I look forward to all your submissions since the pictures are great and the write-ups add a lot, especially for we non-railroaders who want to know.
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