US coal train loadings climbed 0.8% in the week ended March 2 due to a small increase in shipments across all major basins, railroad data showed Friday.
Data filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board by the four major US railroads -- CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern - for the week shows US coal loadings averaged 100.4 trains/d, up from 99.6 trains/d the previous week.
Powder River Basin loadings rose to 56.5 trains/d from 55.8 trains/d the previous week.
Central Appalachian totals increased for the third straight week, growing to 17.8 trains/d from 17.6 trains/d.
Elsewhere in the east, Illinois Basin loadings increased to 8.2 trains/d from 7.9 trains/d, while Northern Appalachian loadings were up to 11 trains/d from 10 trains/d.
In other production areas, Utica Basin loadings decreased to 4 trains/d from 4.6 trains/d, while loadings from the outside the primary basins fell to 3 trains/d from 3.7 trains/d.
