Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
Thank you. We are now conducting a question-and-answer session.
(Operator Instructions) Our first question is from Jason Seidl, with Dahlman Rose. Please go ahead.
Jason Seidl - Dahlman Rose & Co.
Good evening everybody.
Charles Moorman
Good evening, Jason.
Jason Seidl - Dahlman Rose & Co.
Couple of quick questions, a lot's been made of pricing or lack of clarity from some of the other conference calls that we had. You guys pose very strong 6.2%. Can you talk about pricing into 2010 in terms of how much you have locked up and sort of what your expect in if it's a ballpark number?
Charles Moorman
Take it, Don.
Donald Seale
Yeah, good afternoon, Jason.
Jason Seidl - Dahlman Rose & Co.
Hi Don.
Donald Seale
Approximately 60% of our 2010 booked price as you will recall, I indicated that we had 40%, re-priced in the second quarter call; that's now up to approaching 60% and the pricing levels reflect satisfactory levels of price that certainly will exceed what we think the rate of rail inflation will be for next year plus an additive for above that.
Jason Seidl - Dahlman Rose & Co.
An additive above that, okay, that's good for a ballpark. I guess on the question, you guys started having some export coal shipped to China. Could you talk about the levels of that and this is going to be something that's going be more consistent or spotty depending on what Australia is doing?
Donald Seale
Jason, I mentioned in the third quarter our export volume was up 24%, our trans were up 23% for the third quarter. But we saw very rapid improvement month-to-month in the third quarter as orders picked up to Western Europe and also the Asia including direct shipments to China for the first time for us.
As I mentioned, within September itself, we were within 1% of a very strong September last year. So as the quarter ramped up month-to-month, we saw an almost get back to even at the end of September. We are expecting continuation of that demand in the export market at least through the current cold year, which as you know runs through about April 1st of 2010.
Jason Seidl - Dahlman Rose & Co.
Okay, that's great. I'll let somebody else have and get in the back of the queue. Thanks guys for your time as always. Thank you Wick.
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