Industrial products led an overwhelmingly strong week for U.S. freight on the back of increasing manufacturing output.
The Association of American Railroads said total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 27 was 525,474 carloads and intermodal units, up 7% from the same week a year ago.
Commodities increased 3.3% to 232,408 carloads, while intermodal volume was 293,066 containers and trailers, up 10.1% y/y.
Nine of 10 carload groups were higher y/y, led by metallic ores and metals, 19.8%; grain, 6.1%; and farm products excluding grain and food, 5.7%.
Motor vehicles and parts was the lone loser for yet another week, off 4.9%.
U.S. manufacturing output in June was still expanding, but at a slower pace. The ISM manufacturing index fell to 53.3 in June from 54.0 in May, and output growth eased to 52.2 from 54.3, while the S&P Global survey still showed solid factory growth and the strongest output reading since May 2022.
For the first 25 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads hauled cumulative volume of 5,681,611 carloads, up 3.2% y/y, while 6,984,982 intermodal units, was ahead 3.3%. Total combined traffic was 12,666,593 carloads and intermodal units, also up 3.3%.
North American rail volume for the week on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 339,542 carloads, up 2.9% from the year-ago week, and 380,311 intermodal units, up 6.9%. Total combined traffic improved 5% to 719,853 carloads and intermodal units. Year-to-date, North American rail volume was 17,428,272 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.7% compared with 2025.
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Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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