CSX railcars ship to New York as Port of Baltimore closure disrupts global coal trade

Coal and commodities are flowing out of Maryland on CSX Corp. railcars during the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore.

The port accounted for 28% of coal exports in the United States in 2023, according to census data, second only to Norfolk, Virginia.

The railroad giant said Wednesday that it is transporting freight that would typically flow through the port to New York through existing rail routes and partnerships with steamship lines.

“CSX is taking proactive steps to help mitigate freight shipment disruptions in the transportation industry by launching a dedicated service solution between Baltimore and New York, in response to the devastating March 26 incident,” CSX spokesperson Sheriee Bowman said.

The port closed after a cargo ship lost power and struck a support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsing the span into the Patapsco River and blocking access to Baltimore’s harbor.

CSX told customers the day after the accident to anticipate shipment delays. The corporation also said it plans to keep its Curtis Bay Pier facility open even though international shipments out of the port have been suspended.

“While freight traffic has not been entirely halted in the region, certain commodities have been affected by the incident,” Bowman said. “CSX currently has capacity to dispatch additional trains to CSX-served coal terminals in Baltimore before reaching pile space limits.”

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are two full-service terminals that receive, store, and load coal onto oceangoing vessels at the port: the Curtis Bay Coal Piers served by the CSX Railroad, and the CONSOL Energy Baltimore Marine terminal, served by both the CSX and Norfolk Southern Railroads. 

Baltimore primarily exports coal from the northern Appalachia coal fields in western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. About half of the 28 million short tons of coal exported from the port in 2023 went to India, according to the administration.