San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad
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| Reporting mark | SDIY |
|---|---|
| Locale | California |
| Dates of operation | 1984–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 33 miles (53 km) |
| Headquarters | 1501 National Ave. Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92113 USA |
| Website | San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad (SDIY) |
The San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad (reporting mark SDIY) is a class III railroad by agreement of the owners of the railroad, the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway from San Diego, California to San Ysidro, California (which operates on the San Diego Trolley's Blue Line), and on the Trolley's Orange Line to El Cajon, as well.
After Kyle Railways quit the SD&AE, the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad started operations in October 1984 with General Manager Dick Engle, who persuaded local carriers to ship on this line and invited Mexican customers to start receiving shippers, after much skepticism and long before NAFTA. In 1986, the railroad signed an agreement with the Ferrocarril Sonora-Baja California to be the contract railroad operator of the 44 mile Tijuana-Tecate rail line. This agreement continued until SBC successor FNM privatized, leaving the State of Baja California as administrator of the line, ADMICARGA.
The SD&IY is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.; it was owned by RailTex from 1984, which operated the railroad with the reporting mark SDIV, and RailAmerica, which bought RailTex in 2000. Genesee & Wyoming bought and controlled RailAmerica in 2012. The railroad previously also made repairs to the Desert Line from Division, California to Plaster City, California – including two burned trestles which had forced Kyle Railways to quit – and started work on Tunnel Eight by subcontracting Walter H. Barber & Son, Inc. and Morrison-Knudsen until the early 90's. In 2000, CZRY Carrizo Gorge Railway became interested in finishing the SD&IY's repairs to the Desert Line. By signing a contract, SD&IY sub-contracted the Desert Line's responsibility to CZRY, which resumed work in 2000 and reopened the Carrizo Gorge in 2004 for freight service. In December 2012, the Pacific Imperial Railroad established a 99-year lease with the SD&AE and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board, replacing the SD&IY as the freight operator of the Desert Line, (thus leaving Carrizo Gorge Railway out of the picture).
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