U.S. rail traffic up 7.8% as intermodal leads gainers

U.S. rail traffic surged 7.8% week-over-week to Oct. 24, driven by a 11.3% rise in intermodal shipments, according to the Association of American Railroads. Carload traffic expanded 3.6% during the same period. Intermodal volume and carload traffic both outpaced their respective year-to-date growth rates. Eight of the top ten carload commodity groups experienced year-over-year increases, with petroleum and petroleum products leading at 15.4%, followed by motor vehicles and parts at 15.3%.

Forest products climbed 11.7%, and metallic ores and metals rose 11.6%. Grain saw a rare decline of 3.7%, while food dropped 1.4%. Year-to-date, combined U.S. rail traffic rose 3.8%, with carloads up 2.7% and intermodal traffic leading at 4.7%. Despite a weekly dip, grain remained the top-performing carload commodity, up 10.6%, followed by metallic ores and metals at 8.6%, and petroleum products at 8%.

Canadian and Mexican railroads also reported positive trends, with weekly carload growth of 7.6% and 12.7%, respectively, and intermodal increases of 5.5% and 33.4%. Cumulative traffic for the first 42 weeks of 2026 saw a 3.8% rise in the U.S., while Canada saw a 1.5% increase and Mexico a 5.2% rise.