U.S. freight-rail traffic ticks up in week 38

U.S. freight railroads hauled 537,397 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Sept. 26, up 4.8% compared with traffic from the same week in 2025, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads for the week totaled 235,787, up 3%, while weekly intermodal volume totaled 301,610 containers and trailers, up 6.3%.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR each week posted gains. They included chemicals, up 7.2%, to 33,843; metallic ores and metals, up 9.5%, to 22,820; and nonmetallic minerals, up 3.7%, to 34,021.

Commodity groups that posted carload decreases were coal, down 2.1% to 58,280; farm products (excluding grain) and food, down 3.3% to 16,614; and motor vehicles and parts, down 1.8% to 16,891.

For the week, Canadian railroads reported 94,930 carloads, up 0.9%, and 73,719 intermodal units, up 1.8%. Mexican railroads posted 13,287 carloads, down 16.8%, and 14,277 intermodal units, up 3.5%.

For the first 38 weeks of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025:

• U.S. railroads posted 19,458,578 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5%;
• Canadian railroads reported 6,252,353 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4%; and
• Mexican railroads logged 967,280 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.9%.