Weekly US coal train loadings fall to over six-year low: STB

Houston — US coal train loadings dropped to over a six-year low in the week ended April 10, as loadings out of the Powder River Basin fell to a 12-month low, Surface Transportation Board data showed Friday.

Data filed to the STB by the four major Class I railroads -- CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern -- showed US loadings averaged 62.9 trains/day, down 7.6% from 68 trains/day in the prior week and 36.1% lower than the 98.3 trains/day averaged in the year-ago week.

The total loadings were the lowest in a week in over six years.

Since January 1, total loadings have averaged 74.9 trains/day, down from 90.9 trains averaged in the same period a year ago.

Of the four major basins, Illinois Basin was the only one not to see a multi-month decrease.

Average PRB loadings fell to a 12-month low of 34.3 trains/day in the latest week, down from 36.1 trains/day in the prior week and 48.4 trains/day in the year-ago week. It was the lowest since averaging 29 trains/day in the week ended March 29, 2019.

Cumulative PRB loadings so far this year were at 42.2 trains/day, down from 47.6 trains/day averaged in the same period a year ago.

Illinois Basin loadings were at 4.1 trains/day, down from 4.5 trains/day a week earlier and 7.4 trains/day averaged in the year ago-week. Since January 1, Illinois Basin loadings have averaged 4 trains/day, down from 7.3 trains a year ago.

Central Appalachia loadings were at a four-month low 11.7 trains trains/day, down from 12.6 trains a week earlier and 19.5 trains/day in the year-ago week.

Loadings from the CAPP region so far in 2020 have averaged 13.2 trains/day, down from 16 trains averaged a year ago.

Loadings in Northern Appalachia fell to a nine-month low 7.1 trains/day, from 9.4 trains/day a week ago and 7.3 trains/day in the year-ago week.

Cumulative loadings in Northern Appalachia have averaged 9.5 trains/day in 2020, down from 11.6 trains averaged last year.

However, loadings from outside of the primary basins climbed to 5.7 trains/day, up from 5.4 trains/day averaged a week earlier but flat from the year-ago week.