Weekly coal carloads total 57,536, steepest on-year decline in four weeks: AAR

Houston — Weekly coal carload originations totaled 57,536 in the week ended Oct. 24, down 4.1% from the previous week, Association of American Railroads data showed Oct. 28.

Year on year, originations declined 21.5%, the steepest yearly drop in four weeks. Additionally, coal carloads made up 11% of total US originations, the smallest percentage in 23 weeks.

The five-year average for the most recent week, week 43, is 86,803, leaving originations at a 33.7% deficit.

Year to date, coal carload originations were about 2.5 million, down 26.4% year on year.

Canadian coal carload originations totaled 7,250, up 18.1% from the week before, the first weekly increase in five weeks, while carloads declined 4% year on year.

With 275,480 coal originations over 43 weeks, Canadian carloads were down 17.4% from the year-ago period.

Coal carloads from the four major Class I railroads totaled 60,814, down 24.3% year on year. Through the year so far, carloads were nearly 2.7 million, down 27.4% compared with the year-ago period.

BNSF coal carloads totaled 23,691, down 12.3% from the previous week and down 34.6% from the year-ago week. Out of all BNSF weekly traffic, coal produced 12%, the smallest amount since S&P Global Platts data began in 2014.

Union Pacific carloads were 12,861, down 3.3% week on week and down 20% year on year. Coal took up 7.9% of all UP traffic during the week, a four-week low.

On CSX, coal traffic totaled 12,177, down 6.1% from the prior week and down 8.9% from the year-ago week. Coal carloads 9.7% of total CSX traffic, reaching a four-week low.

Norfolk Southern coal carloads totaled 10,085, down 9.8% from the week before and down 30.5% from the year-ago week. Out of all NS traffic, coal took up 7.3% of carloads, another four-week low.