Buoyed by a boost of shipments from the Powder River Basin and strengthening in Northern Appalachia, US coal train loadings climbed four the fourth straight week to a high not seen since mid-November.

Data filed by the four major US railroads -- CSX, Union Pacific, BSNF Railway and Norfolk Southern -- with the Surface Transportation Board for the week ending January 20 shows US coal loadings averaged 104.9 trains/day, up 7.8% from 91.3 the prior week.

Nationwide volumes were last higher the week ending November 18 when an average of 108.7 trains were loaded each day.

PRB loadings jumped to 63.9 trains/d from 59.5 the previous week to also reach a high not seen since the same week ending November 18. That week saw average PRB loadings of 64.3 trains/d.

NAPP volumes grew to an almost 6-month high of 13.9 trains/d from 10.7 the prior week. NAPP loadings peaked in 2016 at the same 13.9 trains/d average the first week of October and were last higher the week ending August 14, 2015, at 14.2 trains/d.

Central Appalachian loadings decreased slightly week on week to 13.6 trains/d from 13.8, while Illinois Basin loadings increased to 7.5 trains/d from 7.3.

Utica Basin coal train loadings slipped to 3.9 trains/d from 4.1 the previous week, and loadings from outside the primary basins were up to 2.1 trains/d from 1.9.

--Jim Levesque, jim.levesque@spglobal.com

--Edited by Richard Rubin, richard.rubin@spglobal.com

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