Crude oil by rail continues to be a growing trend nationwide. The amount of oil and other “refined petroleum products” carried by trains climbed nine percent in the first seven months of this year, compared to the first seven months last year.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration lays it all out in an article published this morning, which includes this chart.
![(EIA)](http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2014/08/EIAcrudebyrail.png)
Here in California, the increase in crude-by-rail shipments puts the national numbers — proportionally speaking — to shame. Sixty-six percent more oil came into California by rail in the first half of this year, compared to the first half of last year, according to numbers from the California Energy Commission.
(Though keep in mind, the national chart is tracking barrels per day, while the state numbers are barrels per month.)
![Data from the California Energy Commission.](http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2014/08/chart_2.png)
Fiery derailments and explosions in other parts of the country have drawn attention to safety problems with the rail cars used to transport oil. Last summer in Quebec, a train carrying crude from North Dakota’s Bakken formation exploded in the town of Lac-Mégantic and killed 47 people.