- - - -
Just a bit over 1,000 cars. I don't know what they would allow contingency, maintenance, etc. Probably not much, 2~4%???
- - - - -
I don't claim any knowledge on the rail shipping times. I have no experience to judge that. I was commenting on what the suggested shipping times equated to implementation.
Others have mentioned limitations of unloading capabilities. I have not done rail but I have done tanker truck operations. The equipment, load arms, metering, etc that was typically used maxed out at ~750 gpm with nearly half that being normal.
If a 29,000 Gal tank is unloaded at 600 gpm, it takes 50~55 minutes per tank to connect, unload and disconnect. Multiple unloading stations are typical in a rail operation, I've seen 5~6 before at refineries. It would take about 3 stations at an hour average to empty 50,000 bpd. So even if the facilities don't exist today (with capacity to handle this new traffic) it is not a big project to add that capability.
I don't mean to suggest this is a bad idea. It is not. It is delivering domestic crude to a crowded area that would be difficult to construct new pipelines. It isn't as cheap or a simple as a “typical” pipeline. But building a new pipeline from Illinois (where several pipelines bring oil) to Linden, NJ is not typical, easy or cheap.
I dunno much about tank cars and even less about crude oil, but the discharge rate for a 3,500 bushel grain hopper (100 tons) at a major terminal is about 12 per hour, or 100 in an 8 hour shift. I would suspect that maybe January in Albany creates issues for crude oil that we don’t see much of at grain terminals in New Orleans.