Road and rail bottlenecks hit oilfield minerals supply chain

• Autores: Bruce McMichael
• Localización: Industrial Minerals, ISSN 0019-8544, Nº. 561, 2014 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Junio)
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The American west was first opened up by horse-drawn wagons in the 1800s, before 'iron horse' railways opened up the vast plains for settlers, miners and farmers. The rail connected towns and cities from the east to west coast, but enthusiasm for this transport collapsed in the early 1900s as commerce and passengers opted to use automobiles and trucks powered by cheap gasoline instead. Investment in railroad infrastructure never fully recovered and today's rail industry is paying the price.

    "BNSF's $28m capital investment in the new Sweetwater logistics facility is an investment in the rebirth of the energy industry in West Texas and of a retired, 75-acre BNSF rail yard," said Dave Garin, BNSF group vice president industrial products.

    In addition, [Warren Buffett] has said that the rail industry as a whole remains concerned about safety after the recent string of accidents. "It's true that the world is going to need an improved tank car," Buffet said, adding, "How to transport oil by rail safely is 'all' the industry is thinking about."