US weekly coal carloads tick 0.2% lower on week: AAR

Houston — US coal carload originations ticked lower to 59,328 in the week that ended Aug. 8, down 0.2% from the 18-week high of 59,458 a week earlier, according to an Aug. 12 report from the Association of American Railroads.

The latest week was also down 23.4% from the year-ago week and 35.2% lower than the five-year average. It was also the lowest total for the corresponding week in over 10 years.

Coal carloads represented 11.9% of all the traffic on US railways, down from 12.2% a week earlier and 14.5% in the year-ago week, according to the data.

Since Jan. 1, cumulative coal carloads are at 1.81 million, down 27.4% 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 -– rose to 5,806 carloads, up 0.7% from a week earlier but 21.5% lower than the year-ago week.

Of the four major Class I railroads -- Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific and BNSF –- only CSX and BNSF saw weekly increases. However, all four saw year-on-year decreases.

BNSF reported a 24-week high 27,689 coal carload originations and interchanges in the latest week, up 3.8% from the prior week but 18.2% lower than in the year-ago week, according to rail-reported data. It was the most movements in a week since 30,196 carloads in the week ended Feb. 22.

So far in 2020, total BNSF carloads are at 830,428, down 22.2% from the same period a year earlier.

Union Pacific reported 15,375 coal carload movements in the most recent week, down 5.5% from the previous week and 21.8% lower year on year.

Cumulative coal carloads so far in 2020 for UP are at 450,667, down 23.9% from the same period a year ago.

CSX coal carloads jumped to a 17-week high 11,070, up 7.1% on the week but 22.8% lower than the year-ago week.

Since Jan. 1, CSX coal carloads have totaled 344,644, down 30.8% from a year ago.

Norfolk Southern reported 10,297 coal cars loaded in the latest week, down 11.4% from the prior week and 36.6% on the year.

Total coal carloads for NS are at 320,487 since Jan. 1, down 43.3% from the same period a year ago.