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): June 2, 2003 (June 2, 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














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Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure.

     On May 29, 2003,  Arch Coal,  Inc.  (the  "Company"),  announced  via press
release and Form 8-K that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vulcan
Coal  Holdings  LLC,  which owns all of the equity of Triton Coal  Company for a
purchase  price  of  $364  million  (the  "Acquisition").  Consummation  of  the
Acquisition  is  conditioned  upon  obtaining  all  necessary  governmental  and
regulatory  consents and other customary  conditions.  The boards of the Company
and Vulcan Coal Holdings LLC have approved the transaction.

     The Company desires to disclose the following  additional  information with
respect to the Acquisition:

     1. Arch Coal has to date identified  expected synergies in the range of $18
million to $22 million per year related to the Acquisition; and

     2. Triton Coal Company's two mines,  North Rochelle and Buckskin,  recorded
earnings  before  interest,  taxes,  depreciation,  depletion  and  amortization
("EBITDA") of $57.8 million in 2002.

     The Company is furnishing the information contained in this report pursuant
to Regulation FD promulgated by the Securities and Exchange  Commission ("SEC").
This  information  is furnished  pursuant to Item 9 of Form 8-K and shall not be
deemed to be "filed" for the purposes of Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange
Act of 1934 or otherwise  subject to the liabilities of that section,  unless it
is  specifically  incorporated  by reference in a document  filed by the Company
under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Act of 1934.

     EBITDA is  defined  as income  from  operations  before  the  effect of net
interest expense; income taxes; depreciation, depletion and amortization. EBITDA
is not a measure of financial  performance in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and items excluded to calculate EBITDA are significant in
understanding and assessing financial condition. Therefore, EBITDA should not be
considered  in  isolation  nor as an  alternative  to net  income,  income  from
operations,  cash  flows  from  operations  or as a  measure  of  profitability,
liquidity or performance under generally accepted accounting principles.

     The  information  contained in this report is summary  information  that is
intended to be  considered in the context of the Company's SEC filings and other
public announcements that it may make, by press release or otherwise,  from time
to time.  The Company  disclaims  any current  intention to revise or update the
information contained in this report, although it may do so from time to time as
its management believes is warranted.  Any such updating may be made through the
filing of other reports or documents  with the SEC,  through  press  releases or
through other public disclosure.

     Statements in this report which are not  statements of historical  fact are
forward-looking  statements  within the "safe  harbor"  provision of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These  forward-looking  statements are
based on information  currently  available to, and  expectations and assumptions
deemed reasonable by, the Company. Because these forward-looking  statements are
subject to various risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially
from those  projected in the  statements.  These  expectations,  assumptions and
uncertainties  include:  the Company's  expectation  of continued  growth in the
demand for  electricity;  expected  synergies  resulting  from the  Acquisition;
belief that  legislation and  regulations  relating to the Clean Air Act and the
relatively  higher  costs  of  competing  fuels  will  increase  demand  for the
Company's  compliance  and  low-sulfur  coal;  expectation  of  improved  market
conditions for the price of coal;  expectation that the Company will continue to
have  adequate  liquidity  from its cash flow  from  operations,  together  with
available  borrowings  under its credit  facilities,  to finance  the  Company's
working capital needs; a variety of operational, geologic, permitting, labor and
weather  related  factors;  and the  other  risks  and  uncertainties  which are
described from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the SEC.






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                                   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:  June 2, 2003              ARCH COAL, INC.



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































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