Highlights Expect continued pressure on coal in Q4 Record third quarter operating ratio of 64.9% Houston — Norfolk Southern railroad reported lower coal volumes in the third quarter, driven by a weak global market and domestic utility competition, executives said Wednesday “Our utility portfolio was impacted by additional natural gas capacity and prices that suppressed coal burn,” Alan Shaw, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said during a conference call to discuss earnings. “Export thermal and metallurgical prices remain at low levels, making it difficult for US coals to compete globally.” NS coal carloads totaled $403 million in the third quarter, down 13% year on year. Coal volumes totaled 218,700, down 15% from the year-ago quarter and the steepest drop of NS traffic in Q3. Largely, NS assigned this drop in coal traffic to lower natural gas prices, renewables competition and lower seaborne coal prices. “We expect the […]