Coal plants of the Northeast and Great Lakes, 2002

Coal for power plants is the backbone of U.S. railroading. Here’s where it comes from and where it goes to in the Northeast

By Mark W. Hemphill

Published: April 10, 2012

Coal is the most important rail commodity in the United States. In the early 2000s, when this map was produced, coal accounted for one of four cars loaded and slightly more than 20 percent of rail revenue. Eighty percent of the coal goes to the generation of electricity at steam power plants, so a map of these plants and their source of coal provides many insights into traffic patterns and railroad profitability.

Railroads included in this map:
BNSF Railway; Canadian National; Canadian Pacific; CSX Transportation; Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern; Iowa Northern; Guilford; Kansas City Southern; Norfolk Southern; Union Pacific

Subscriber-Only Content

You are currently not logged in. This article is only available to Trains magazine subscribers.

Already a subscriber to Trains magazine?

If you are already a subscriber to Trains magazine you must log into your account to view this article. If you do not have an account you will need to regsiter for one. Registration is FREE and only takes a couple minutes.