US weekly coal carloads rise to six-week high: AAR

Houston — US coal carload originations rose to a six-week high 63,474 in the week that ended Jan. 23, up 10.1% from the 57,665 a week earlier, according to a Jan. 27 report from the Association of American Railroads.

However, the latest week was down 7.2% from the year-ago week and 21% lower than the five-year average. It was also the lowest total for the corresponding week in over 11 years.

Coal carloads represented 12% of all the traffic on US railways, up from 10.9% a week earlier but down from 14.1% in the year-ago week.

Since Jan. 1, cumulative coal carloads are at 181,919, down 13.2% from the same period a year ago.

Coal originations on Canadian railroads – including the US operations of Canadian National, which serves several mines in the Illinois Basin – also rose to 7,972 carloads, up 1.3% from a week earlier and 50.1% higher than the year-ago week.

Of the four major Class I railroads -- Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific and BNSF – only NS saw a weekly decline, while Union Pacific was the only one with a year-on-year increase.

BNSF reported 28,737 coal carload originations and interchanges in the latest week, up 8.4% from the prior week but 16.5% lower than in the year-ago week, according to rail-reported data.

So far in 2021, total BNSF carloads are at 82,857, down 11% from the same period a year earlier.

Union Pacific reported an eight-week high 14,920 coal carload movements in the most recent week, up 47.1% from the previous week and 3% higher year on year. It was the first yearly increase for UP in nearly eight months.

Cumulative coal carloads so far in 2021 for UP are at 37,745, down 16.5% from the same period a year ago.

CSX coal carloads rose to 12,424, up 2.4% from a week earlier but 8.8% lower than the year-ago week.

Since Jan. 1, CSX coal carloads have totaled 37,589, down 11% from a year ago.

Norfolk Southern reported 12,059 coal cars loaded in the latest week, down 5.6% from the prior week and 0.8% lower on the year.

Total coal carloads for NS are at 37,428 since Jan. 1, down 8% from the same period a year ago.