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Abstract
The Phillip-Hansen fully-modified cointegration (FM-OLS) approach is applied to examine the
dynamic relationship between demand for coal barge transportation, and explanatory variables such
as barge and rail rates, domestic coal consumption and production, and coal exports. The results
provide strong evidence that there exists a long-run equilibrium relationship between demand for coal
barge transportation and the selected variables. It is also found that, in the long-run, the domestic
coal consumption and coal exports are more important than other variables in determining the
demand for coal barge transportation. In the short run, on the other hand, domestic coal production
is found to be the only significant determinant of coal demand. This dynamic analysis will shed new
light on the dynamic interrelationships between the demand for coal barge transportation and its
major determinants, and contribute to the empirical literature on transportation economics.