U.S. rail freight finished another solid week, with carloads and intermodal traffic both posting year-over-year gains, according to the latest figures from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 537,397 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Sept. 26, up 4.85% compared with the same week in 2025.
Carload traffic totaled 235,787 units, up 3% from the same week last year, and intermodal activity remained the stronger segment of the week. Railroads originated 301,610 containers and trailers, up 6.3% from the same week last year.
There was growth also in several commodity segments. Seven of the 10 specific carload commodity groups had higher volumes than the same week in 2025.
The gains were led by metallic ores and metals up 9.5 percent, petroleum and related products up 9.4 percent and chemicals up 7.2 percent.
However, not all categories of commodities were higher. Shipments of farm products, excluding grain and food, were down 3.3%. Coal shipments fell 2.1% and shipments of motor vehicles and parts fell 1.8%.
Coal continues to operate in a tough environment. Inventories rose 1.4 million tons since the end of 2025, while domestic coal consumption declined 11.4% year-on-year. U.S. coal production is down 2.4% through Sept. 5, which has led to a relatively slow seasonal build to winter for rail freight.
Rail gains pile up in first 38 weeks
The weekly gain is part of a broader positive trend for U.S. railroads in 2026.
U.S. railroads posted 8,679,882 carloads of cumulative traffic during the first 38 weeks of the year, up 2.7% year over year. “Intermodal volume was 10,778,696 units, a 4.1% increase from the same timeframe in 2025.
Combined, carloads and intermodal units were 19,458,578, an increase of 3.5% compared with the same point last year.
The scene was not much different throughout North America.
The nine reporting railroads in the U.S., Canada and Mexico reported 344,004 carloads for the week, an increase of 1.5% over the same week last year. Intermodal traffic was up 5.3% at 389,606 units.
That lifted North American weekly total to 733,610 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5% compared with the same week last year.
North American railroads moved 26,678,211 carloads and intermodal units during the reporting period, up 3.1% from 2025.
The latest numbers highlight the continued strength of intermodal freight in particular, with container and trailer volumes growing faster than traditional carload traffic in the United States and throughout the broader North American rail network.
