Posted on 04/24/2014 4:33:51 PM PDT by nascarnation
Several hundred Chrysler minivans are stuck indefinitely on a piece of prime Detroit real estate, unable to be transported across America. The reason? The fossil fuel boom in Canada and the United States is hogging much of the available rail capacity needed to transport the vans.
Citing a report by the Associated Press, the Windsor Star reports that railway capacity which is normally transport new vehicles is being eaten up by deliveries of oil from both the Alberta Oil Sands and the Bakken shale formation in the United States. According to the AP, just 9,500 railway carloads of crude were being transported in 2008, but that number exploded to 434,032 in 2013. In addition, ethanol shipments have exploded nearly fivefold since 2005, with up to 325,000 carloads being shipped last year.
One of the biggest players in energy shipments is CP Rail, a Canadian railway company that is also the major player in the Windsor, Ontario region, where Chryslers minivan plant is located. Aside from capacity issues, a CP spokesman told the Star that the extreme weather has created supply chain issues that still linger at CPs Chicago hub.
A Chrysler spokesman told the Star
We have experienced delays of delivery of our finished vehicles due to rail car shortages We are using alternative modes of transport and alternative routes where possible to move around the biggest problem areas.
Inventories of the two vans have fallen sharply in the last month. As of April 1st, Chrysler had 50 days worth of Town & Country vans, and 37 days worth of Caravans, down from 75 days and 50 days respectively on March 1st.
Taxes and one world government.
“Hey! How about if we build a pipeline. That would work. Dont ya think?”
That, and outlawing gasohol
Not busting your chops, nas.
There are some truly immense tonnage coal trains that have 3-5 locomotives at the head end with a few more mid-train and a couple more at the end (remotely controlled). Of course, these are unit trains that pick up at the mines and deliver to the customer without picking up general freight at every Bugtussel siding.
That being said, leaving cars full of minivans at a siding makes no sense. Unless someone wants to send a message to the manufacturer of them. Ciao.
/tinfoil.
Comments at the site indicate plenty of other newly-built Chrysler vehicles are filling up Detroit.
If they were selling them at an ACTUAL profit, they would be getting to the dealers.
Sergio Marchionne will probably lead the largest corporate bankruptcy in world history and demand to be bailed out by taxpayers.
Most oil trains are unit trains. What we need is to reactive some of the old railroads (that we made in rail trails) and get GE Texas locomotive plant to build more locos!
At the railroad that I work for, we’re pulling all of our older locmotives out of long term storage, and putting them back into service for this very reason. Carloading are through the roof right now, and not enough power to pull them. A lot of those return to service locomotives are also going to the Canadian railroads as horsepower payback. Also, tank car manufacturing is running at capacity right now.
...railway capacity which is normally transport new vehicles is being eaten up by deliveries of oil from both the Alberta Oil Sands and the Bakken shale formation in the United States. According to the AP, just 9,500 railway carloads of crude were being transported in 2008, but that number exploded to 434,032 in 2013.IOW, because that Kenyan-born muzzie jackhole has stonewalled the Keystone XL.
If you can really live with being free, you should consider moving to Maine and helping us secede.
All big oil does is refine it and ship it over seas. Who cares anymore...
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