Today, when oil sands producers need to transport crude oil products, they look for unprecedented connectivity, scalability, flexibility, reliability  and speed – all with minimum impact on the environment.  We offer a viable solution called CN's Crude by Rail.

Our service is an economically sound, surprisingly fast way to ship crude oil products within Alberta, to the rest of Canada, the U.S. Midwest, the Gulf coast, and other export markets.

Connect to your markets in North America and overseas

CN offers the most extensive network to and from the oil sands regions of Peace River, Athabasca, Cold Lake and Saskatchewan.  This outstanding connectivity is complemented by our transcontinental network. It reaches into markets throughout Alberta, the rest of Canada, the U.S. Midwest and Gulf coast. Add the power of our alliance partners and you have access to the majority of refining and terminal capacity on the U.S. Gulf coast.

Expand your horizons and use our unparalleled port connections on three coasts to support your international trade initiatives.

Get the capacity you need to match your volume requirements

Scalability is a key benefit of our Crude by Rail service. It means that we offer you capacity made to order to meet your volume requirements.

We have the capacity to move crude oil products on our network today. You can start with as few as 1,000 barrels a day. We can grow together to as many as 200,000 barrels per day or more.

We already move diluent, pipe, aggregate, steel, cement, sulphur, and petroleum coke into and out of the oil producing regions of western Canada. We're presently developing solutions for transporting CO2.  We really are the total transportation solutions provider for the oil sands industry.

We deliver your crude oil products responsibly

Running a safe operation without anyone getting hurt and without damaging the environment is a top priority at CN. That philosophy is reflected in every aspect of our business, including our partnership in Responsible Care®. Our safety initiatives extend to the railcars on our tracks. CN is committed to safe and secure shipment of Dangerous Goods. We never compromise on safety.

A continuing focus on reducing our greenhouse gases has produced impressive results. Today, we can ship one tonne of freight 197 kilometres on just one litre of fuel. When you choose CN's Crude by Rail service, you choose to ship cleaner and greener.

Take advantage of the flexibility 

Because our Crude by Rail service is flexible, we can deliver to any point on our network or interchange with other railroads. We're multi-directional, so you can ship to one destination or half a dozen.

Product segregation is another plus. You can ship a variety of crude oil products with virtually no possibility of cross contamination – even reload railcars with diluent for a return move.

When you use CN's Crude by Rail service, you move the volume you want, where you want, when you want. That's true flexibility.

We speed your crude oil products to market

We can deliver your crude oil products from Alberta to the U.S. Gulf coast up to five times faster than you might expect.  Thanks to our precision railroading model, you'll get  reliability, velocity, time, and value for money.  Our Crude by Rail service is ready to benefit you today.

Ship greener and cleaner

We know that safety and the environment are important considerations for you.  Did you know that:

• Rail emits six times less greenhouse gases than heavy trucks. 
• CN can move one tonne of freight 197 kilometres on just one litre of fuel.

Contact CN's Crude by Rail expert

If you need a transportation solution for the shipment of your crude oil products, contact our expert, Randy Meyer, at 403-299-0660 or send him an email.