US Development Group LLC (USDG), a Houston TX-based developer of rail logistics and terminal facilities, announced that its St James Rail Terminal has begun to receive and offload shipments of crude oil via unit train. Situated on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, the St. James Rail Terminal is USDG’s first crude oil/condensate terminal in a terminal network planned for strategic locations around the nation.
The terminal brings rail connectivity to the St James crude/condensate logistics hub. USDG anticipates that it will help to optimize the Louisiana crude market by giving producers dependable access to a dynamic trading hub and providing refiners access to a steady supply of high-quality crude.
Served by the Union Pacific Railroad, the St James terminal has an initial capacity of 65,000 barrels a day and is capable of handling both manifest and unit train shipments from a variety of oil-producing areas in the United States and Canada. Connected via pipeline to an adjacent state-of-the-art crude oil/condensate storage terminal operated by Plains All American Pipeline LP, the facility consists of several miles of rail track and a fully automated 26-spot rail rack. A grand opening event for the St James Rail Terminal is planned for October 21, 2010.