Oil train safety concerns cast shadow over cross-border rail deal

[zardoz]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/economy/article46416955.html

 

[BaltACD]

More against the wall to see if it can stick.

[Euclid]

I don’t see how oil train safety would be affected by the merger unless it results in increased oil traffic.  Would the merger do that?  If the oil is currently moving over the two railroads, why would the merger increase oil traffic? 

In any case, there is no legal limit to the oil traffic, so I don’t see the connection between oil train danger and the merger.

The article says nothing that would explain this obvious question.

However, if the merger would increase the oil traffic, then stopping the merger would be similar to killing the Keystone pipeline.    

[Norm48327]

Based on that one sided article, and many others, one can't help but wonder if the environmentalists have bought the media.

[MidlandMike]

I also don't see how train safety would be affected by the merger.  There may be more crude oil going over the CP/NS at the expense of BNSF, since CP would have a seamless line from the Bakken to the northeast refineries.  However, there would still be no net increase of overall crude-by-rail.

[beaulieu]

CP just reaches the fringe of the Bakken Oil Fields and has only 3 loadouts on their trackage. CP is much better positioned to move Canadian Heavy Oil.

[schlimm]

beaulieu

CP just reaches the fringe of the Bakken Oil Fields and has only 3 loadouts on their trackage. CP is much better positioned to move Canadian Heavy Oil.

 

That will probably wind down over the next few years, due to economics and the dramatic changes in leadership in both Alberta and Ottawa.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/23/alberta-to-introduce-carbon-tax

[MidlandMike]

beaulieu

CP just reaches the fringe of the Bakken Oil Fields and has only 3 loadouts on their trackage. CP is much better positioned to move Canadian Heavy Oil.

 

The important thing is that they reach the Bakken field, and their loadouts can be ramped up to handle anything that comes there way.