Buenos Aires al Pacífico S.A.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway freight transport |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Enrique Pescarmona |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Fate | Operations taken over by América Latina Logística |
| Headquarters | Mendoza , Argentina |
Area served | Buenos Aires, San Juan, San Luis, Mendoza provinces |
Key people | Enrique Pescarmona (founder) |
| Products | Freight rail services |
| Owner | Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona (IMPSA) |
Buenos Aires al Pacífico S.A. (BAP) was a privately held Argentine firm responsible for operating the 1,676 mm gauge General San Martín Railway freight network. Established in 1993 by Enrique Pescarmona and based in Mendoza, BAP oversaw 5,690 kilometers of railway lines spanning the provinces of Buenos Aires, San Juan, San Luis, and Mendoza.
Focused on freight rail services, BAP was a subsidiary of Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona (IMPSA) and reported a net profit of 43,005 in the year 2000. That same year, the company transported close to 2.9 million tons of goods.
Following BAP's closure in 2000, the freight operations of the San Martín Railway were subsequently managed by América Latina Logística until the Argentine government terminated ALL’s concession in 2013. Presently, the service is run by Belgrano Cargas y Logística.
History
Amidst the railway privatization initiatives under President Carlos Menem, BAP was granted the concession to operate the San Martín freight railway line, which had been under the control of the now-defunct Ferrocarriles Argentinos since 1949. The company belonged to the "Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona" (IMPSA) group, which also controlled the Urquiza Railway through its affiliate "Ferrocarril Mesopotámico-Urquiza."
In its inaugural operational year (1994), BAP moved 2,439,729 tonnes of freight. Nevertheless, in 1998 IMPSA declared its intention to exit the railway sector, aiming to sell a 73.5% stake in BAP and 70.5% in FM to Brazilian company Ferrovía Sul Atlántico (FSA). The Argentine authorities blocked this transaction due to IMPSA’s failure to meet concession obligations and outstanding debts exceeding A$130 million.
By 2000, control of San Martín Railway freight services shifted to "ALL Central," a branch of Brazilian corporation América Latina Logística.