Weekly US coal train loadings climb to five-week high: STB

Houston — US coal train loadings rose to a five-week high in the week ended Nov. 13, as loadings from Northern Appalachia jumped to a seven-month high, Surface Transportation Board data showed Nov. 20.

Data filed to the STB by the four major Class I railroads -- CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern -- show US loadings averaged a five-week high 70.6 trains/day, up 0.9% from 69.9 trains/day in the prior week but 19.7% lower than the 87.8 trains/day averaged in the year-ago week.

Since Jan. 1, total loadings have averaged 67.8 trains/day, down 26.6% from 92.5 trains averaged in the same period a year ago.

Average PRB loadings rose to 39 trains/day in the latest week, up from 37.6 trains/day in the prior week but down from 49.3 trains/day in the year-ago week.

Cumulative PRB loadings this year are at 38.9 trains/day, down from 50.5 trains/day averaged in the same period a year ago.

Illinois Basin loadings were at 5 trains/day, flat from a week earlier, but down from 5.1 trains/day averaged in the year ago-week.

Since Jan. 1, Illinois Basin loadings have averaged 4.2 trains/day, down from 6.6 trains a year ago.

Central Appalachia loadings climbed to 11.9 trains/day, up from 10.6 trains/day a week earlier, but lower than the 14.5 trains/day in the year-ago week.

Loadings from the CAPP region in 2020 have averaged 11.6 trains/day, down from 16.2 trains averaged a year ago.

Loadings in Northern Appalachia rose to a seven-month high 9.8 trains/day, up from 8.8 trains/day in the prior week, but down from 10.8 trains/day in the year-ago week. It was the most loadings in a week since 10.1 trains/day in the week ended March 27.

Cumulative loadings in Northern Appalachia have averaged 7.6 trains/day in 2020, down from 11.7 trains averaged last year.

Loadings from outside of the primary basins declined to 5.6 trains/day, from 6.8 trains/day a week earlier and 8.1 trains/day in the year-ago week.