Weekly rail traffic on U.S. railroads totaled 494,865 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Sept. 12, down 3.7% from the same week a year ago.
Commodity freight came to 223,560 carloads, the Association of American Railroads reported, off 3.3%, while intermodal volume of 271,305 containers and trailers was weaker by 4.1%, y/y.
Just three of 10 carload commodity groups improved: Grain, 17.3%; petroleum and petroleum products, 6.5%; and forest products, 2.1%.
Motor vehicles and parts led decliners, down 18.8%, followed by chemicals, 9.2%, and nonmetallic minerals, 6%.
For the first 36 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,209,888 carloads, better by 2.7%, and 10,175,630 intermodal units were up by 4% y/y. Total traffic of 18,385,518 carloads and intermodal units improved by 3.4% from a year ago.
North American volume for the week on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 326,500 carloads, down 3.3%, and 353,081 intermodal units, off 3.8%, from 2025. Total combined traffic reached 679,581 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.6%. North American volume for the first 36 weeks of this year was 25,216,803 carloads and intermodal units, a gain of 3% y/y.
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