May 3 (Reuters) - The discount on Western Canada Select

(WCS) heavy crude versus the North American benchmark West Texas

Intermediate (WTI) narrowed marginally on Friday:

* WCS for May delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, traded at

$11.75 a barrel below WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, after

closing at $11.90 a barrel below the benchmark on Thursday.

* Canadian heavy crude has traded at a discount of less than

$12 a barrel to WTI since the start of this month's trade cycle

on Wednesday, when the 590,000 barrel per day Trans Mountain

pipeline expansion (TMX) also started commercial operations.

* Oil sands producers, including Canadian Natural Resources

Ltd ( CNQ ) and Cenovus Energy ( CVE ) this week said TMX will

benefit the entire industry.

* Many analysts expect the pipeline will help tighten heavy

crude differentials to less than $10 a barrel below WTI by

removing export pipeline bottlenecks and forcing U.S. refiners

to compete with global buyers for Canadian barrels.

* Global oil prices settled lower and posted their steepest

weekly loss in three months as investors weighed weak U.S. jobs

data and the possible timing of a Federal Reserve interest rate

cut.