Buenos Aires al Pacífico S. A. (abbreviated BAP) was an
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines ...
company that exploited the operation and infrastructure of the
San Martín Railway freight rail transport
Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers.
A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled ...
system.
BAP operated of cargo in the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...
,
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
,
San Luis San Luis (Spanish for "Saint Louis") may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Luis Province
* San Luis, Argentina, capital of San Luis Province Belize
* San Luis, Belize, in Orange Walk District Colombia
* San Luis, Antioquia, a town and municipality ...
and
Mendoza.
The San Martín Railway freight service is currently operated by
Belgrano Cargas y Logística
Belgrano Cargas y Logística S.A. (trading name: Trenes Argentinos Cargas) is an Argentine State-owned company which operates a freight rail network that includes Belgrano, Urquiza and San Martín railways. It is a subsidiary of the Ferrocarri ...
after the
Government of Argentina
The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Preside ...
rescinded the contract signed with
América Latina Logística
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...
(ALL) in 2013.
History

As part of the railway
privatisation
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
carried out during the presidency of
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. ...
, BAP was granted a concession to operate the San Martín freight railway services that had been managed by defunct
Ferrocarriles Argentinos
Ferrocarriles Argentinos (abbreviated as FA; ) was a state-owned company that managed the entire Argentine railway system for nearly 45 years. It was formed in 1948 when all the private railway companies were nationalised during Juan Perón's fir ...
since 1949. The company was part of the consortium "Industrias Metarlúgicas Pescamona" (IMPSA) that had been also granted the
Urquiza Railway
The General Urquiza Railway (FCGU) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril General Urquiza), named after the Argentine general and politician Justo José de Urquiza, is a standard gauge railway of Argentina which runs approximately northwards from Buenos Aire ...
system to be operated by sister company "Ferrocarril Mesopotámico-Urquiza".
During its first years of operation (1994) the company carried of cargo.
Nevertheless, in 1998, Industrias Metarlúgicas Pescamona (IMPSA), owner of BAP and Ferrocarril Mesopotámico (that had been granted concession to operate passenger services), announced that they would retire from the rail transport, selling the 73,5% of BAP and the 70,5% of FM to Brazilian company
Ferrovía Sul Atlántico (FSA). Nevertheless, the
Government of Argentina
The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Preside ...
, owner of the entire railway network granted in concession, did not allow the operation due to the failure of IMPSA to comply with the terms and conditions of the contract of concession, with unpaid charges for over
A$ 130 million.
In 2000, the operation of San Martín Railway line was taken over by "ALL Central", a subdivision of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian company América Latina Logística.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buenos Aires al Pacifico S.A.
Defunct railway companies of Argentina
Railway companies established in 1993
5 ft 6 in gauge railways in Argentina
Railway companies disestablished in 2000
Rail transport in Buenos Aires Province
Transport in Mendoza Province
Transport in San Luis Province
Transport in San Juan Province, Argentina