Revenue per ton -mile (RPTM) is a surrogate for rail rates. In 2019, average RPTM for coal was 2.15 cents. The average for all commodities other than coal was 5.12 cents. 150 300 450 600 750 900 1,050 1,200 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 U.S. Coal Consumption and Production (millions of tons) Source: Energy Information