Monday, April 20, 2009
'Pipeline on rail'
Here's an interesting article.
Apparently, the good old railroad still has a place in this world.
I guess it could be labeled a low tech solution...
Apparently, the good old railroad still has a place in this world.
I guess it could be labeled a low tech solution...
In the Canadian National Post, Diane Francis reports:
"'The number I have seen for constructing a pipeline to serve the West Coast is $4-billion. Our rail network is already in place to get to all the West Coast ports. Any terminal facilities needed would have to be put in place whether customers used pipeline or rail. CN's service is scaleable, meaning capacity can be matched with production,' Mr. Foote added.
'Our target is to be moving 10,000 barrels a day by the end of this year. We already move a lot of petroleum products. Our capabilities to handle this product are clearly not an issue and we handle a lot more products that are much more environmentally risky than this would be. Diluted or moved in a car that can be heated is similar to how we ship asphalt today.'
Rail's other benefit is speed.
'We can take this to any port, any place the customer wants it to go, with a minimum capital investment,' he said. 'We can get a railcar to the Gulf Coast in eight days but in a pipeline it could take 50 days to get there.'"
