US weekly coal carload volumes rebound from almost 25-year low: AAR

Houston (Platts)--15Jul2015/426 pm EDT/2026 GMT

Weekly coal carload volumes originated on US railroads bounced back from a low not seen in almost 25 years, data from the Association of American Railroads showed Wednesday.

The AAR reported 95,318 coal carloads for the week ended July 11, up 14.9% from 82,924 carloads the previous week, which was the lowest total reported since the last week of 1991.

The latest total was a decrease of 10.5% from the year-ago week.

It was the 14th week this year coal volumes were below 100,000 carloads, the most that has happened since the AAR began keeping such records in 1988.

This year, coal carload volumes have averaged 100,214 a week compared to 111,844 last year.

Year-to-date US coal carload originations total 2,705,780, down 9.4% compared with the same period last year.

Overall US rail traffic for the week totaled 534,097 cars, an increase of 5.5% from the prior week. Coal made up 17.8% of all traffic.

Canadian railroads -- which include the US operations of Canadian National, which serves several mines in the Illinois Basin, and Canadian Pacific -- originated 7,380 coal carloads, an 8.5% increase from a year-low 6,799 carloads previous week, but a 16.2% decrease from the same week last year.

Year to date, coal carloads on Canadian railroads are down 10.5%.

COAL VOLUMES UP ON ALL MAJOR US RAILROADS

For the week, coal carloads volumes for the four largest US railroads, which includes originations and interchange movements, were up, as CSX and Norfolk Southern recovered from year-low totals.

CSX reported 15,749 coal carloads, up 34.1% from a two-year low of 11,741 coal carloads the previous week. It was an 11.8% decrease in volumes from the year-ago week, and coal made up 12.7% of all traffic.

Coal carload volumes have fallen week-over-week for CSX in eight of the last 14 weeks. Year to date, coal shipments are down 10.5%.

Norfolk Southern reported 18,057 coal carloads, up 20.4% from a year-low 15,000 carloads the previous week. It was a 25.3% decrease in volumes from the year-ago week, and coal made up 12.5% of all traffic.

Coal carload volumes have fallen week-over-week for the railroad in seven of the last 15 weeks. Year to date, coal volumes are down 17.1%, the most of all major US railroads.

WESTERN RAILROADS SEE COAL GAINS AGAIN

BNSF reported 41,094 carloads, up 7.1% from the previous week. It was a 1.8% increase over the year-ago week, and coal made up 20.5% of all traffic.

Coal shipments have decreased 14 out of the last 20 weeks for the railroad.

Year-to-date, coal shipments are still up 2.6%, or 25,381 carloads, for BNSF, the only major US railroad with an overall increase in coal shipments in 2015.

Union Pacific reported 28,708 coal carloads, a gain of 2,027 carloads, or 7.6%, from the previous week. It was an 11.8% decrease over the year-ago week, and coal made up 16.9% of all traffic.

Coal shipments have decreased 16 of the last 23 weeks for the railroad and year-to-date are down 16.7%.

--Jim Levesque, jim.levesque@platts.com
--Edited by Kevin Saville, kevin.saville@platts.com

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