WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. rail delivery of petroleum and petroleum products was up 0.7 percent last week from the same period in 2013, the American Association of Railroads said.
The AAR said 13,717 carloads of petroleum and petroleum products, or about 9.6 million barrels of oil, were delivered on the rail system for the week ending Feb. 8, up from the same time last year and nearly 3.8 percent more than the preceding week.
Since Jan. 1, 85,793 carloads, or about 60 million barrels of oil, were delivered on the U.S. rail system, an 8.7 percent increase from the same period last year, the AAR said Thursday.
Industry officials say the increase in U.S. crude oil production is outstripping the existing pipeline capacity, forcing some energy companies to turn to rail as an alternate transit option.
The AAR's rail count excludes deliveries from the Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Railway.
