SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               Washington, D.C. 20549
                             ----------------------------

                                     FORM 8-K

                                    CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                        Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 24, 2003
                                                         (February 24, 2003)

                                 Arch Coal, Inc.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

        Delaware                       1-13105                 43-0921172
(State or other jurisdiction      (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer
    of incorporation)                                       Identification No.)


           One CityPlace Drive, Suite 300, St. Louis, Missouri 63141
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)


       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (314) 994-2700














               Page 1 of 4 pages. Exhibit Index begins on page 4.




Item 5. Other  Events.

     On February 24, 2003, Arch Coal, Inc. (the "Company"),  announced via press
release the election of Thomas A. Lockhart as a Director of the Company.  A copy
of the Company's  press release is attached  hereto and  incorporated  herein by
reference in its entirety.


Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

       (c) The following Exhibit is filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K:

          Exhibit No.               Description
            99                      Press Release dated as of February 24, 2003




























               Page 2 of 4 pages. Exhibit Index begins on page 4.



                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated:  February 24, 2003                     ARCH COAL, INC.



                                             By:/s/Janet L. Horgan
                                                Janet L. Horgan
                                                Assistant General Counsel and
                                                  Assistant Secretary































               Page 3 of 4 pages. Exhibit Index begins on page 4.







                                 EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit No.              Description
99                      Press Release dated as of February 24, 2003





































                               Page 4 of 4 pages.



                                                                      Exhibit 99
News from
Arch Coal, Inc.
                                                        FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

                                                         Kim Link (314) 994-2936


                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                       Monday, February 24, 2003



             Arch Coal Names Thomas Lockhart to Board of Directors

     ST. LOUIS/ Feb. 24 - Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:  ACI) today announced Thomas A.
Lockhart,  67, has been elected to its board of directors effective immediately.
Mr.  Lockhart will serve on the board's  finance and personnel and  compensation
committees.

     "I'm pleased Tom Lockhart has joined our board of  directors,"  said Steven
F. Leer,  Arch Coal's  president and chief executive  officer.  "Tom's wealth of
knowledge  regarding  western  energy markets will prove  especially  helpful in
shaping our company's strategies going forward."

     Mr.  Lockhart  currently  is  a  member  of  the  Wyoming  State  House  of
Representatives where he serves on the Revenue and Education Committees. He also
serves on the Board of Directors for the  University  of Wyoming's  Institute of
Environment and Natural Resources.

     Previously,  Mr. Lockhart spent 31 years with PacifiCorp, one of the West's
largest electric utilities.  Prior to his retirement in 1998, he was responsible
for helping  negotiate the merger of Pacific Power with Utah Power and served as
vice  president  of  power  systems  for  PacifiCorp's  electric  operations  in
Portland, Ore.

     Mr.  Lockhart holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical  engineering
from the University of Wyoming and an M.B.A. from Portland State University.  He
was inducted into the University of Wyoming College of Engineering  Hall of Fame
in 2002.

     Arch Coal is the nation's second largest coal producer and mines low-sulfur
coal exclusively.  Through its subsidiary operations in West Virginia, Kentucky,
Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, Arch provides the fuel for approximately 6
percent of the electricity generated in the United States.