20 Percent Of Pumped US Oil Ship Via Rail: Railroad Revenue For Hauling Crude In 2013 Was 80 Times 2008 Revenue

From The Wall Street Journal, "Dangers Aside, Railways Reshape Crude Market: Shipping Crude by Rail Expands as New Pipelines Hit Headwinds and Train Companies Reap Revenue" by Russell Gold and Chester Dawson:

Today, 1.6 million barrels of oil a day are riding the rails, close to 20% of the total pumped in the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration, chugging across plains and over bridges, rumbling through cities and towns on their way to refineries on the coasts and along the Gulf of Mexico. If all the railcars loaded with crude on one day were hitched to a single locomotive, the resulting train would be about 29 miles long.

Initially conceived of as a stopgap measure until pipelines could be constructed, and plagued by high-profile safety problems, crude by rail has nevertheless become a permanent part of the nation's energy infrastructure, experts say. Even pipeline companies have jumped into the rail business, building terminals to load and unload crude.

Behind the new industry are powerful economics. While it costs a bit more to ship petroleum on trains than through pipelines, railroads have the flexibility to deliver it to wherever it will fetch the highest prices. And capital expenses are far lower. Major railroads' revenue for hauling crude has jumped from $25.8 million in 2008 to $2.15 billion in 2013, according to federal data.