CSX Moved More Export Than Domestic Coal Last Year: Report

In yet another sign of the decline of coal for electricity production, CSX transported more coal for overseas markets than for domestic consumption in both the fourth quarter of 2024 and for the full year.

In its fourth quarter earnings statement, the railroad, based in Jacksonville, Florida, reported a 14% decline in domestic coal shipments for the full year and a 9% increase in export shipments.

“Export coal decreased primarily due to reduced production, including planned and unplanned outages at customer facilities,” the report said. “Domestic coal decreased primarily due to lower shipments of coal to utility plants, as well as lower thermal shipments to river terminals.”

For the full year, CSX moved 39 million tons of domestic coal and 44 million tons of export coal. That’s a reversal from 2023, when the railroad moved 45 million tons of domestic coal and 40 million tons of export coal.

CSX transports coal from central Appalachia to the export terminal in Newport News, Virginia. Northern Appalachian coal goes to the port of Baltimore, Maryland.

CSX has the most miles of track of any railroad in West Virginia. 

Coal accounted for roughly 16% of U.S. electricity production last year, down from nearly 50% two decades ago. Natural gas, and more recently renewables, have cut deeply into its share.