US coal carloads dropped to 86,159 in the week ended November 17, up 1.9% from 84,532 a week earlier but 0.2% lower than the 86,185 in the year-ago week, the Association of American Railroads said Wednesday.
The 86,159 was also up 1.9% from the 2018 weekly average of 84,595 but down 13.6% from the five-year average of 99,722 for the corresponding week.
However, it was the third week in the last five weeks to track higher than the same week of 2017.
Coal carloads represented 15.8% of all the traffic on US railways, up from 15.4% a week earlier and 15.6% in the year-ago week.
Since January 1, cumulative coal carloads are at 3.89 million, down 0.7% from 3.92 million in the same period a year ago.
Coal originations on Canadian railroads -- including the US operations of Canadian National, which serves several mines in the Illinois Basin -- fell to 8,345, down from the three-year high 9,369 a week earlier but up 38.4% from 6,030 in the year-ago week.
Of the four major Class I railroads -- Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern and BNSF -- three saw week-on-week increases, led by UP, which carloads jumped 20.4% to a six-week high 21,870.
However, the 21,870 coal carloads in the latest week were down 7.4% from the year-ago week and the lowest weekly total for the corresponding week in over 11 years.
So far in 2018, UP carloads are at 971,484, down 6.2% from the same period a year earlier.
BNSF reported weekly carloads of 37,449, down 2.5% from the previous week and 0.3% lower year on year. It was the only major Class I railroad with a weekly decrease.
Cumulative coal carloads for BNSF are at 1.67 million, down 1.8% from the same period a year ago.
The two Eastern railroads, Norfolk Southern and BNSF, both saw week-on-week and year-on-year increases for only the fifth time this year, including the second time in the last three weeks.
Norfolk Southern saw 18,335 coal carloads in the latest week, up 2.2% from the prior week and 3.6% from the year-ago week. Total coal carloads for NS are at 857,052 since January 1, down 1.5% from the same period a year ago.
CSX coal carloads climbed higher week on week by 2.8% to a seven-week high 17,889. It was also 5.6% higher than the year-ago week and was the highest for the corresponding week since 2014.
Since January 1, CSX coal carloads are at 740,066, up 4.9% from a year ago. CSX is also the only major railroad with cumulative carloads higher than the same period a year ago.
