Rail plugs the gaps in North America’s oil network

Oil deliveries have been pushed onto flexible forms of transport, like rail and barges, which are able to cater for changing dynamics of production

The battle over the Keystone XL pipeline is just one manifestation of a realignment of North America’s oil transport infrastructure, triggered by marked regional differences in refining and pipeline capacity and which is having a profound effect on the strategies of both producers and refiners. The Obama administration continues to mull the environmental implications of building Keystone XL across the Canada-US border to complete a pipeline route to move heavy oil from Canadian oil sands to refineries capable of handling it on the US Gulf coast. But, as the deliberations continue,  the companies involved are seeking new ways to transport their oil to market. Calgary-based Suncor Energy said