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%.
Subscribe to FreightWaves’ Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your inbox.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
Read more:
CSX marks unique status with DC 250 rail event
UPDATED: Maersk shifts SoCal import containers to UP from BNSF
New rail park aims to make Laredo more than a trucking gateway
California: First ILWU strike against sugar giant in decades
Oregon port OKs federal rail grant agreement for multimodal project
Supply Chain AI Symposium
Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.
July 15, 2026
The Old Post • Chicago, IL
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga – plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
AI
Supply Chain AI Symposium
Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.
The Old Post • Chicago, IL
Register Now
FreightTech
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga – plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
