It may not be the best of times for U.S. freight railroads, but it certainly is the better of times.
Rail freight totaled 521,998 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 20, a gain of 7.1% from the same week a year ago.
Commodity volume came to 233,259 carloads, according to Association of American Railroads data, up 1.6% from the year-ago week, while intermodal reached 288,739 containers and trailers, better by 12.1% versus 2025.
Carload improvement in seven of 10 categories was led by metallic ores and metals typically used in steelmaking, 10.3%, followed by forest products, 9%, and grain, 8.2%.
Gains in shipments of lumber, plywood and related products came despite a weak housing market. The latest Census data for May showed privately-owned housing starts at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.177 million, down 15.4% from April and 8.7% from a year earlier.
Seasonal decreases were seen in coal, 6%, and motor vehicles and parts, 1.2%.
Through the first 24 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,449,203 carloads, an increase of 3.2%, and 6,691,916 intermodal units, up 3%, y/y. Both domestic and international volumes have been growing steadily as trucking rates trend upward and peak season imports post near-record levels through some maritime gateways.
Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 24 weeks of 2026 was 12,141,119 carloads and intermodal units, ahead 3.1% y/y.
North American rail volume for the week on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads rose by 0.9% to 337,841 carloads from the year-ago period. A total of 376,727 intermodal units outpaced 2025 by 9.2%. Total combined traffic was 714,568 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.1%. Volume for the first 24 weeks of this year was 16,708,419 carloads and intermodal units, topping year-ago figures by 2.7%.
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Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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