(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on December 9, 2009.)
In November, Union Pacific Railroad loaded 939 coal trains in the Powder River Basin (PRB) vs. 1,141 trains in November 2008. The Class I also loaded 245 coal trains in the Colorado/Utah region compared with 289 trains a year earlier.
During December’s first week, which ended Dec. 6, UP loaded 235 coal trains in the PRB and 54 trains in the Colorado/Utah region. The railroad registered 29 missed PRB loading opportunities, 20 of which were attributable to utility plants, eight to mines and one to UP. Missed loadings were offset by 31 extra loadings, according to UP’s weekly coal loading performance report.