Canadian Railroads > Even more crude by rail from Alberta?

The Financial Post has an article about the probability of increased crude by rail shipments from Alberta.  Likely to "obliterate" previous shipping records.

The matter has been forced by the success of Allberta's curbs on oil production (which narrowed the price gap versus US oil), and the ongoing failure to complete pipelines.  Although the exact number isn't clear, some observers believe the price to ship oil is about $15 per barrel, or a little less.

While this may be a good thing for CP and CN, even more crude likely means even more congestion...

https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/line-3-delays-may-see-oil-by-rail-rocket-past-500000-bpd-and-alberta-extending-curtailment

I wonder how many barrels of oil are in a tank car, or for that matter how many barrels say on a 100 car unit train of oil tanks. I'm curious how many trains per day this equates to.
Doug

The math should go something like this !
45-50 gallons in a barrel divided into 10,000 gallons in the avereage tank car x 100 cars .
Possibly a half million gallons per train ! 

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Yes, the type of Rail carrier and grade of oil will have an impact.

42 US gallons in a barrel of oil, about 750 barrels in a new tank car,

I figure about 31,000 gallons per rail car, as a rough estimate.

Posted from Android

Interesting topic.....at least some of this Alberta crude is and more is headed to Portland, Oregon as Zenith Energy expands their terminal here in NW Portland to off load 44 tank cars at a time (currently something like 14).  Zenith says they will then transfer the crude to Panamax sized vessels.   This process is creating big concerns with our environmental  community as the anticipated increase in unit oil trains is not something they want to see in the Columbia River Gorge or transiting the Willamette River.   The Zenith terminal is on the west side of the Willamette just south of the Gunderson barge/rail car manufacturing facility on Front Avenue.   The expansion of the Zenith facility was somehow moved through our Oregon DEQ without public comment a couple of years ago.  

here is a 3/1/2019 picture of the Zenith Energy construction project of additional tank car unloading racks in NW Portland, Oregon.     Arlen

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As I recall there are roughly 700 barrels per tank car.

Is anything coming down to Couts, AB to interchange with the BNSF Sweetgrass Sub and onward to the Hi-Line?