U.S. rail traffic kept building steam during the most recent reporting week, with carriers hauling a combined 535,663 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Sept. 19, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR). That compared with a total 4.9% higher than in the same week a year earlier.

Carload traffic increased 2.4% year over year to 234,207 units, and intermodal volume was even better, up 6.9% to 301,456 containers and trailers compared with the same week last year.

Industrial commodities again contributed heavily to the carload growth. The AAR tracks 10 commodity groups, seven of which were up from a year ago during the week. The biggest gainers were metallic ores and metals, up 15.1%. Petroleum and petroleum products were next with a 12.5% increase. Nonmetallic minerals, such as sand and stone, were up 7%.

U.S. Rail Traffic1

Week 37, 2026 – Ended September 19, 2026

This Week Year-To-Date
Cars vs 2025 Cumulative Avg/wk2 vs 2025
Total Carloads 234,207 2.4% 8,444,095 228,219 2.7%
Chemicals 33,687 2.9% 1,248,832 33,752 2.1%
Coal 58,171 -3.1% 2,122,425 57,363 -1.9%
Farm Products excl. Grain, and Food 17,644 5.6% 645,778 17,453 4.2%
Forest Products 8,727 6.8% 308,790 8,346 1.2%
Grain 21,369 -7.7% 870,382 23,524 12.0%
Metallic Ores and Metals 23,420 15.1% 791,920 21,403 7.9%
Motor Vehicles and Parts 16,636 -0.8% 574,074 15,516 -0.9%
Nonmetallic Minerals 33,629 7.0% 1,135,504 30,689 2.4%
Petroleum and Petroleum Products 11,976 12.5% 409,544 11,069 7.6%
Other 8,948 3.8% 336,846 9,104 0.5%
Total Intermodal Units 301,456 6.9% 10,477,086 283,164 4.1%
Total Traffic 535,663 4.9% 18,921,181 511,383 3.4%

1 Excludes U.S. operations of CPKC, CN and GMXT.

2 Average per week figures may not sum to totals as a result of independent rounding.

Not all commodity groups grew. Grain fell 7.7%, after a long stretch of weekly gains. Coal shipments also fell, down 3.1 percent. Motor vehicles and parts declined a more modest 0.8 percent.

U.S. railroads reported 8,444,095 carloads year to date for the first 37 weeks of 2026, an increase of 2.7% from the same period in 2025. The intermodal traffic totaled 10,477,086 units, 4.1% more than the same period last year.

For the first 37 weeks of the year, U.S. combined carload and intermodal traffic was 18,921,181 units, up 3.4%.

The nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads originated 340,379 carloads in North America during the week ending October 21, 2023, up 3.1 percent from the same week in 2025. Intermodal traffic rose 6% to 387,419 units.

North American railroads combined to move 727,798 carloads and intermodal units during the week, up 4.6% year over year.

Total North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2026 was 25,944,601 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.1% compared with the same period of 2025.