Weekly US coal carload originations totaled 72,402 in the week ended December 7, up 6.7% from the previous week, Association of American Railroads said Wednesday.
From the year-ago week, carloads were down 18.5%.
Through 49 weeks, carloads were down 8.6% compared with the year-ago period, and compared with the five-week average for week 49, of 95,558, carloads were down 24.2%.
Canadian carload originations totaled 6,872, up 4.3% from the week before for the second consecutive week and down 21.4% year on year.
Year-to-date Canadian coal carloads were down 1.4%.
Coal carload movements from the four major Class I railroads totaled 79,657 in the most recent week, down 17.8% from the year-ago week.
Through 49 weeks, carloads from the railroads were over 4.1 million, down 8.4% year on year.
BNSF coal movements totaled 34,261, up 1.4% from the week before and down 13.3% from the year-ago week.
Coal traffic on the rail took up 17.3% of total traffic, the smallest percentage in 21 weeks. BNSF coal carloads were also down 5.5% through 49 weeks compared with the corresponding period last year.
Union Pacific movements were 16,217, up 2.2% week on week and down 27.7% from the year-ago week.
Through week 49, UP carloads were down 14.7% year on year. Coal also took up 10.3% of total UP traffic, the smallest in five weeks.
Coal carload movements on CSX totaled 13,535, up 26% from the previous week and the strongest jump week on week in 22 weeks. From the year-ago week, movements were down 18.3% year on year.
CSX coal traffic produced 11.2% of total traffic, and through week 49, carloads were down 5.1% compared with the same point last year.
Norfolk Southern coal carloads totaled 15,644, up 12.2% from the previous week and down 13.6% year on year.
Year-to-date carloads on the rail were down 9.6% compared with the year-ago period, and coal movements made up 11.1% of total NS traffic in the most recent week.
