{
  "id": 19679269,
  "title": "Intermodal leads U.S. rail traffic up 6.6% from a year ago",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/intermodal-leads-u-s-rail-traffic-up-6-6-from-a-year-ago",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-12T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "FreightWaves",
    "slug": "freightwaves",
    "url": "https://www.freightwaves.com/news/intermodal-leads-u-s-rail-traffic-up-6-6-from-a-year-ago"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the week ending November 7, rail traffic among U.S. carriers increased by 6.6% compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the Association of American Railroads. This surge was primarily fueled by an 11% rise in intermodal shipments. Carload freight volume grew by 1.3% from the previous year.\n\nSeven out of the top ten commodity groups experienced positive growth in rail traffic. Motor vehicles and parts were at the forefront, climbing by 10.4%, followed closely by forest products with a 10.1% increase. Metallic ores and metals also saw a 6.4% boost.\n\nHowever, not all freight categories fared well. Grain shipments fell by 2.4%, nonmetallic minerals declined by 1.7%, and coal shrank by 1.2% due to reduced volumes.\n\nAs of the first 44 weeks of 2026, overall U.S. rail traffic rose by 3.9% compared to the same period in 2025. Intermodal volumes grew by 4.9%, while carloads increased by 2.7%. Grain remained the fastest-growing freight category for the year-to-date, up by 9.7%, despite its weekly drop. Metallic ores and metals and petroleum and petroleum products also recorded significant gains of 8.8% and 7.7%, respectively. Coal was the sole commodity group lagging behind its year-earlier cumulative level, declining by 1.6%.\n\nAcross the nine U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, combined weekly traffic saw a 6.7% increase year-over-year. Intermodal shipments rose by 10.5%, while carload freight volume expanded by 2.7%. North American rail traffic reached a total of 3.4% growth through the first 44 weeks of the year.",
  "summary": "U.S. rail traffic advanced as strong intermodal growth outweighed some carload declines. The post Intermodal leads U.S. rail traffic up 6.6% from a year ago appeared first on FreightWaves .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}