"Irving Oil Shifts From Bakken to Brent".

[fogg1703]

CP CBR trains to/from Albany (Kenwood Yard) were symboled 608/609 and ran over D&H.

[KSmitty]

CP CBR trains to/from Albany (Kenwood Yard) were symboled 608/609 and ran over D&H.

Which is likely one of the largest reasons CP will be retaining ownership of those few key miles of track around Mohawk/Albany when the southern portion of the D&H is conveyed to NS. They will still have port access for oil, which as much as we'd like it not, will rebound.

[fromway]

With the rise in oil prices could we see the return of Bakken oil trains again?

[Cowford]

That's a question with a complicated answer. A few of points to consider: Bakken pricing (below $42/bbl) is still in a range that discourages production investment. (Production in ND is down more than 20% from 2015.) During the boom, Bakken averaged nearly 200 active rigs; it's averaged 30 in YTD 2016. The boomers have left and, given better economic conditions, I'd guess drillers would have a harder time ramping up for lack of workers. Also, crude is now being exported from the US, which has likely altered trading flows. (Adding to that, pipeline development has provided more options for ND producers.) Finally, as important as crude price, one also needs to consider the Brent-WTI spread. US crude found much more favor with Eastern refineries when the spread was $15-20/bbl; the spot market spread this past week was less than $1.

In short: I wouldn't bet on it.