text: Rail Irving Oil once made extensive use of rail service to deliver petroleum from the Saint John refinery to rail-side distribution terminals throughout Atlantic Canada and Quebec.  The decline in rural branch rail lines operated by Canadian National Railway and CP Rail in the 1980s and 1990s, combined with the increase of 4-lane highway construction, has seen Irving Oil eliminate practically all retail petroleum delivery by rail and the closure of many of its rail-side distribution terminals in favour of newer highway-served terminals or direct deliveries.
  Irving Oil continues to make extensive use of rail service for wholesale petroleum deliveries from its Saint John refinery.  Products such as propane, liquid asphalt and diesel are delivered daily to locations in Quebec and New England via New Brunswick Southern Railway, owned by sister company J.D. Irving Limited as well as by CN.
  Retail network
  Irving Oil operates bulk furnace oil and propane outlets in most major centres across Atlantic Canada, New England and Quebec as well as select locations in eastern Ontario, almost all of which are supplied from its Saint John refinery.
  Irving Oil also operates over 900 gas stations in these jurisdictions.  In recent decades, smaller stations have been closed and consolidated as newer, larger facilities are constructed - Irving owns many choice real estate locations in communities across northeastern North America, some of which are no longer used for gas retailing, and others being held in speculation of some future need.  Older stations are typically franchise operations and still have automobile service and repair shops, which in recent years are branded by Meineke.