U.S. freight railroads report traffic gains in Week 23

U.S. freight railroads hauled 520,406 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending June 13, up 7.2% from traffic in the same week in 2025, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Carloads for the week totaled 230,959, up 2.8%, while weekly intermodal volume totaled 289,447 containers and trailers, up 10.9%.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR posted an increase in traffic during the week. Notable gainers included grain, up 21.7% to 23,988; metallic ores and metals, up 19.2% to 24,604; and nonmetallic minerals, up 4.2% to 32,342 carloads.

Groups that posted declines for the week included coal, down 8.3% to 53,955 carloads; chemicals, down 1.1% to 32,534; and forest products, down 1.6% to 8,061.

For Week 23, Canadian railroads reported 93,827 carloads, up 2.8%, and 75,465 intermodal units, up 1.1%. Mexican railroads posted 12,914 carloads, down 20.3%, and 14,624 intermodal units, up 27.3%.

Cumulative traffic for the first 23 weeks of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025:

• U.S. railroads posted 11,619,121 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.9%
• Canadian railroads reported 3,788,314 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6%
• Mexican railroads logged 586,416 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.2%