Railway

CN, Canada’s national railway, said it plans to accelerate work on a US$33 million project to upgrade a 74-mile section of the Whitehall Subdivision line in Wisconsin. The upgrade between the towns of Wisconsin Rapids and Blair would allow increased car-loading capacity and train velocity for hydraulic fracture (frack) sand suppliers Badger Mining Corp., Preferred Sands of Wisconsin LLC, Atlas Resin Proppants LLC and Taylor Frac LLC. After the upgrade, CN would be able to transport heavier freight cars loaded with frack sand, up to a maximum of 286,000 pounds. CN, which began the work in 2012, plans to complete the project by December 2014, a year ahead of time.

As one of the hottest growing hydrocarbon areas in North America, North Dakota’s legislature has been immersed this year with various proposals to deal with oil and natural gas-related issues. So far, the stakeholders embroiled in the debate are not sure which, if any, bills will make it through the legislative meat grinder.

Tundra Energy Marketing Ltd. and CN, Canada’s national railway company, have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a crude oil car loading terminal in southwestern Manitoba, near the border with Saskatchewan, to serve Bakken oil producers in the two provinces, the companies said Thursday.

The pipeline industry is a bit behind the times in capitalizing on the Williston Basin shale oil boom, but railroads like BNSF Railway are happy to accommodate oil producers with a means to get their product to market.

The pipeline industry is a bit behind the times in capitalizing on the Williston Basin shale oil boom, but railroads like BNSF Railway are happy to accommodate oil producers with a means to get their product to market.

Supply chain solutions company Savage has completed a terminal near Trenton, ND, with direct connection to BNSF Railway’s main line track, to gather crude oil from the Williston Basin and Bakken Shale and facilitate its transport to refinery markets.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) and Martin Midstream Partners LP have formed joint venture (JV) Pecos Valley Producer Services LLC to develop a multi-commodity rail terminal in Pecos, TX, to serve oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin of West Texas.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is being examined as an alternative fuel to diesel for locomotive engines by a collaboration of Canadian National Railway (CN), Westport Innovations and Gaz Metro Transportation Solutions (GMTS). They are seeking to develop a prototype LNG engine for locomotives by 2013. The project has obtained a $2.4 million grant from the Canadian government-backed Sustainable Development Technology Canada, a nonprofit that finances development of clean technologies. The project initially will concentrate on an LNG system for locomotives, both in plant and field settings. GMTS will provide LNG and fuel supply logistical expertise while CN will provide the locomotive expertise, the partners said.

Dynegy Inc. announced Monday is has named a new interim CEO, E. Hunter Harrison, the former CEO at Canadian National Railway Co. and a current independent Dynegy director. He replaces another independent director, David Biegler, who was serving as the independent power provider’s CEO on an interim basis since Bruce Williamson resigned (see Daily GPI, Feb. 23). Biegler will continue to serve on the Dynegy board along with other independent directors Patricia Hammick, Victor Grijalva, Howard Sheppard and William Trubeck. As announced in February, these directors are not standing for reelection at the company’s annual shareholders meeting in June15. Hammick will continue as chairman of the board. A search continues by the board for a permanent president/CEO of the company. Harrison, 66, had a long career as a CEO and board member of several companies in the U.S. and Canadian companies. Four new directors joined Dynegy’s board in March (see Daily GPI, March 10) — selected by one of the company’s two major shareholders, billionaire Carl Icahn or Seneca Capital — and Harrison has ties to these new board members, according to Biegler who characterized the new interim CEO’s selection as “an important step as we execute the transition to new leadership.”