Freight on U.S. railroads is resurgent nearly halfway into the year.
The Association of American Railroads on Wednesday said volumes for the week ending June 6 totaled 521,804 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 7.8% from the same week a year ago.
Carloads came to 228,076 units, up 1%, while 293,728 intermodal containers and trailers were better by 13.6% from 2025.
Six of 10 commodities posted gains as grain maintained its runaway lead, up 9.2% for the week, followed by metallic ores and metals, up 9.1%. Motor vehicles and parts were better by 6.1%.
Improving home sales gave forest products a boost, ahead 3.8%.
Coal was seasonally weaker, down 4.2%, followed by chemicals, dropping 1.8%.
Through the first 22 weeks of 2026, cumulative volume is 3.3% ahead y/y at 4,984,985 carloads. A total 6,113,730 intermodal units is a gain of 2.3%. Combined traffic reached 11,098,715 carloads and intermodal units, ahead 2.7% from 2025.
North American rail volume for the week on 9 U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 333,030 carloads, up 1.7%, and 380,156 intermodal units, up 11% y/y. Combined traffic of 713,186 carloads and intermodal units, improved by 6.4%. North American volume for the first 22 weeks of 2026 was 15,281,170 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4% y/y.
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Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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