According to the National Energy Board, Canada exported an average of 46,000 bpd of crude oil by rail to the United States in 2012.
As typical pipeline shipments need to be diluted with 30 per cent condensate to reduce viscosity, moving bitumen by rail has become a viable option. Unit trains are comprised of a single commodity and are typically assembled and disassembled at a single origin and destination, providing economies of scale, short lead time and rail freight efficiencies.
