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Runaway train prompts need for brakeman
Congressman Hunter asks U.S. Attorney look into railroad company
The federal government has officially weighed in on the controversial binational railroad, also known as the Desert Line.
On October 30, congressman Duncan Hunter sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy requesting that her office launch an investigation into allegations of investment fraud that have plagued the defunct railroad for more than seven years.
In 2012, Pacific Imperial Railroad entered into a 99-year-lease agreement with the Metropolitan Transit District to haul freight on the 70-mile line stretching from Tecate, Mexico, to Plaster City, California. The transit agency drafted the lease despite the fact that Pacific Imperial Railroad was made up of all the same people from the previous company (Carrizo Gorge Railway), who had run the railroad since 2007. During that seven-year-span, the company has not moved any freight. Despite the inactivity, the company managed to rack up $2 million in legal judgments for unpaid bills and a $1.6 million penalty for smuggling 202 pounds of marijuana from Mexico; the company also owes more than $240,000 in back-taxes.
The poor track record recently caught the attention of Congressman Hunter. Earlier this year, Hunter sent several letters to transit agency chief Paul Jablonski listing his concerns. Jablonski did not waver in his support of the company. Now, Hunter has taken the next step.
“The evidence that has accumulated against [Pacific Imperial Railroad] and Desert Line lease is troubling,” said Hunter in an October 30 statement. “The railroad is a public asset and anytime there are allegations or there is evidence of unlawful activity in a situation like this — it is necessary that the proper legal authority determines the facts through its ability to obtain relevant documentation and testimonial evidence. Among other things, [Pacific Imperial Railroad] has falsified and misrepresented its assets to attract investors while the company remains on the profitable side of the lease agreement."
Continued Hunter, “Whenever a public asset is either being misused or mismanaged, or as allegations are presented, it is critical that the necessary steps are taken to ensure the public trust is upheld and the asset in question is neither a liability nor exists to perpetuate unlawful activity.
“The Desert Line will be an international railway on a troubled land border. An operational Desert Line, even with security protocols in place, can still facilitate criminal activity, including drug smuggling, into the U.S. A functional Desert Line must be safe and secure — and it is absolutely necessary to fully determine the capability of [Pacific Imperial Railroad] to effectively maintain and operate the railroad.”
Metropolitan Transit System spokesman Rob Schupp issued the following statement in response: ""If the U.S. Attorney undertakes an investigation of this issue, MTS will cooperate fully. MTS followed appropriate procedures in its lease with Pacific Imperial Railroad and we continue to protect the public interest by enforcing its terms."
For more on the allegations and the history read the September 10 cover story in the Reader
(reposted due to technical error)
Here's something you might be interested in.
Runaway train prompts need for brakeman
Congressman Hunter asks U.S. Attorney look into railroad company
Runaway train prompts need for brakeman
Congressman Hunter asks U.S. Attorney look into railroad company
The federal government has officially weighed in on the controversial binational railroad, also known as the Desert Line.
On October 30, congressman Duncan Hunter sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy requesting that her office launch an investigation into allegations of investment fraud that have plagued the defunct railroad for more than seven years.
In 2012, Pacific Imperial Railroad entered into a 99-year-lease agreement with the Metropolitan Transit District to haul freight on the 70-mile line stretching from Tecate, Mexico, to Plaster City, California. The transit agency drafted the lease despite the fact that Pacific Imperial Railroad was made up of all the same people from the previous company (Carrizo Gorge Railway), who had run the railroad since 2007. During that seven-year-span, the company has not moved any freight. Despite the inactivity, the company managed to rack up $2 million in legal judgments for unpaid bills and a $1.6 million penalty for smuggling 202 pounds of marijuana from Mexico; the company also owes more than $240,000 in back-taxes.
The poor track record recently caught the attention of Congressman Hunter. Earlier this year, Hunter sent several letters to transit agency chief Paul Jablonski listing his concerns. Jablonski did not waver in his support of the company. Now, Hunter has taken the next step.
“The evidence that has accumulated against [Pacific Imperial Railroad] and Desert Line lease is troubling,” said Hunter in an October 30 statement. “The railroad is a public asset and anytime there are allegations or there is evidence of unlawful activity in a situation like this — it is necessary that the proper legal authority determines the facts through its ability to obtain relevant documentation and testimonial evidence. Among other things, [Pacific Imperial Railroad] has falsified and misrepresented its assets to attract investors while the company remains on the profitable side of the lease agreement."
Continued Hunter, “Whenever a public asset is either being misused or mismanaged, or as allegations are presented, it is critical that the necessary steps are taken to ensure the public trust is upheld and the asset in question is neither a liability nor exists to perpetuate unlawful activity.
“The Desert Line will be an international railway on a troubled land border. An operational Desert Line, even with security protocols in place, can still facilitate criminal activity, including drug smuggling, into the U.S. A functional Desert Line must be safe and secure — and it is absolutely necessary to fully determine the capability of [Pacific Imperial Railroad] to effectively maintain and operate the railroad.”
Metropolitan Transit System spokesman Rob Schupp issued the following statement in response: ""If the U.S. Attorney undertakes an investigation of this issue, MTS will cooperate fully. MTS followed appropriate procedures in its lease with Pacific Imperial Railroad and we continue to protect the public interest by enforcing its terms."
For more on the allegations and the history read the September 10 cover story in the Reader
(reposted due to technical error)
Comments
Every time I attempt to view this blog, it comes back with "Loading story body ..." Can we please see the text? It's been on the website since 1:30 this afternoon. Isn't that enough time to load?
10:39 PM....still loading.
Just follow the money and see who benefits. The Desert line has no viable economic benefit except for sightseeing. It looks like a scam and smells like a scam . . . (you know the rest)
Don't expect that anything will come of this. The media have been belittling many of the things coming from Hunter, portraying him as a buffoon. The Obama administration, for whom Duffy works (and is part of), would find it advantageous to ignore Hunter. If there were an investigation and it was determined that something is very wrong, that would just boost Hunter and his prospects. So, at this time, his request is likely to fall victim of politics, and go ignored.
Driving out to Phoenix last week, I caught a look at the tracks out near Jacumba and in the desert. However much money they spent to clear the tracks will have to be spent again, as the tracks have been covered in spots again by brush and sand. I think the line could be a benefit by running freight to the east and connect with the UP in El Centro, but not with the outfit who is currently in charge.
Clearing brush and sand is relatively cheap and easy, done by running a "flanger" over it. The real expenses are washouts, cave-ins, and bad ties. The real problem is that even if the line is brought up to handle heavy traffic, it is an orphan line and the San Diego to Yuma line isn't the shortest route to anywhere but Texas for a ship-load of containers. The San Diego shipping terminal is a joke compared to Long Beach and Oakland, and cannot handle the traffic that would make investment in the "Desert Line" a worthwhile investment..
Which makes me wonder if any maintenance is being done at all on the line right now. I would think not, since no freight is moving on that part of the line.