The San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad (SDIV) has opened the gates at its new Choice Terminal bulk transload facility.

The opening of the new bulk cargo facility follows the multi-million-dollar expansion of the San Ysidro yard that provides the terminal with 50 railcar spots in a paved and fenced facility with an on-site contractor. Commodities handled at the new facility include propane, petroleum gases, corn syrup, malt and wood pulp.

The decision to establish a railroad-operated terminal was based on the growing number of requests from customers within 25 miles of the railroad requiring access to local, regional, and Mexican markets via the railroad’s connection with the BNSF Railway and Mexico’s Baja California Railway via the adjacent Tijuana border crossing, according to the short line railroad.

In addition, the new facility provides its customers with cost savings by offering rail service at one centralized terminal rather than at several smaller facilities.

“The goal is to help customers within a wider radius of the railroad to utilize rail-served terminals, warehouses or reloads to access new markets and reduce their total transportation costs,” said Jared Gooch, SDIV director of sales and marketing.

The new bulk transload terminal “is a rail/truck logistics solution that has been needed in the San Diego market,” says Mike Lewis, co-founder of Pearson Fuels, which is the new terminal’s largest customer. “It allows our company to bring in our product closer to our current customer base, providing them a more consistent, reliable supply and allowing us to grow our business. We continue to look for opportunities to serve other markets, including Mexico.”

The San Diego & Imperial Valley Railroad is a wholly owned subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., the Connecticut-headquartered short-line railroad holding company that owns or maintains interests in 120 railroads in seven countries, and operates more than 15,500 miles of owned and leased track.