US crude by rail shipments tumble as oil-price spread narrows
Prices, pipelines and declining production will push volumes even lower
US shipments of crude by rail have almost halved this year due to the narrowing spread between domestic and international crude prices, new pipelines and declining oil production in the Midwest and Gulf Coast. Between January and May average daily movements of oil by rail tumbled by 45%, compared to the same period in 2015, down to just 443,000 b/d. On a monthly basis average shipments of crude by rail within the US plunged by 11.86m barrels - over 42% - from the same period a year earlier, down to around 16.2m barrels, according to Energy Information Administration data. In April US crude shipments by rail fell to a four-year low of 14.57m barrels (around 471,000 barrels a day). That's arou
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation
