Western rail rates held steady this month as utility coal buyers stayed out of the market. Interest in spot rail deliveries has been limited by low elec- tricity demand, cheaper natural gas prices and mild weather in part of the western US. Western coal shippers say lower demand has allowed railroads to increase train speeds and reduce cycle times. Some generators have taken trains out of service to slow down Powder River basin (PRB) coal deliveries. Some buyers are pushing deliveries initially scheduled for this year into 2021, as inventories at PRB-burning coal plants remain elevated.
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