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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.S. Railcar Oil Deliveries Hit Record in 2012
The use of rail cars to transport crude oil in the U.S. reached a record in 2012 and continues to rise, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.
Refiners increasingly depend on rail cars to bring in the oil being produced in increasing quantities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Innovations in drilling techniques have allowed oil companies to cull oil from shale formations in South Texas, North Dakota and elsewhere faster than pipeline companies have been able to connect the wells to market.
A record 233,811 carloads of crude oil traversed the U.S. in 2012, up from 65,751 carloads the year before, the association said. In January, crude oil and fuel shipments via rail averaged 13,043 carloads a week, up 54% from the 2012 weekly average, the association added.
"There's never been a year when they've been 250% plus up," said Kevin Sterling, analyst at BB&T Capital Markets. "The tank car manufacturers, they're building tank cars as fast as the orders come in."
Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/02/21/us-railcar-oil-deliveries-hit-record-in-2012-trade-group/#ixzz2MQs8kTTr
elleng
(130,126 posts)August '12 info, but interesting:
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/08/rail-shipping-coal-is-down-oil-cars.html
and
Stopping the Keystone Pipeline Wont Stop Flow of Oil.
While opponents of the pipeline have been rallying their supporters, U.S. and Canadian railroads have been hauling record amounts of oil. Last year, the volume of oil delivered by rail in the United States jumped by about 46 percent compared with 2011. According to the Association of American Railroads, oil-related rail traffic increased in Canada by 30 percent. In December, U.S. and Canadian railroads were hauling about 1.9 million barrels of oil and refined products per day, double the volume moved in 2009. Of that total, about 1 million barrels per day is being transported by rail in the U.S. . .
Theres nothing new in moving oil by rail. In the late 1860s, John D. Rockefeller began investing in railroad tanker cars, a move that saved him the cost of building barrels to hold his product. The oil barons control over the Cleveland-area refining market allowed him to negotiate favorable shipping rates with the railroads.
http://www.vnews.com/home/4609045-95/oil-rail-railroads-barrels
US rail traffic reflects increase in crude oil production, decrease in coal use; coal still dominant.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/eiarail-20130205.html