The value of our Bakken crude is lowered by present limited pipeline capacity in the region. The ability to create sufficiently marketable products and ensure that we have enough transport capacity is increasingly important. Transporting the crude by rail bypasses the pipeline bottlenecks and ensures our products get to market and that we get the highest possible price.

—or Martin Anfinnsen, senior vice president of Crude, liquids and products in Statoil

Rail flows. Click to enlarge.

The magnitude of the operations is best illustrated through the fleets of trains that will be transporting crude from Bakken. From now and onwards, the logistic chain will be upscaled with unit trains totaling more than 1,000 cars, Statoil said. The tank cars are on long-term lease and incorporate the latest industry safety standards. The average length of a train with 100 tank cars is almost 2 kilometers (1.2 miles).

A unit train is a train in which all the cars are shipped to the same destination from the same origin, without being split up. Unit trains of 100 tank cars carry approximately 60,000 barrels of oil, according to Union Pacific.

Rail transit times to Canada, the US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are approximately 14-15 days round trip, including loading and unloading.

The ramp up of production from our onshore assets in North America grows rapidly. The rail solution supporting the Bakken business will increase the value of the oil significantly. This translates to substantial profits as production continues to grow.

—Torstein Hole, Statoil senior vice president US onshore in Statoil