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From staff reports and news releases
Crude continues to roll at a record pace on the rails.
Union Pacific and Fort Worth, TX-based BNSF said in October that shipments of crude oil out of the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana, including the Bakken Shale, are on the rise, testament that railroads are a viable alternative to move black gold through pipelines.
BNSF said it has increased capacity in 2012 to haul one million barrels per day out of the Williston Basin while keeping pace with record expansion of oil production bound for U.S. markets. Capacity increases should also benefit shippers of other commodities, including agricultural products.
Nationwide, railroads are moving oil.
According to the Association of American Railroads, the number of carloads of crude oil will be at least 35 percent more than last year. Through 40 weeks of 2012 ending Oct. 6, carloads of petroleum products were up 42 percent over 2011 on U.S. railroads.
Carloads are expected to reach 500,000 in 2012, compared to about 350,000 five years ago.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of the November/December 2012 issue
BNSF’s first unit train of oil arrives at Pemiscot County Port Authority near Caruthersville, MO in October. – Courtesy Dan Overbey
