{
  "id": 3971302,
  "title": "Chemical shipments percolate in latest rail data",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/chemical-shipments-percolate-in-latest-rail-data",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-28T10:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "FreightWaves",
    "slug": "freightwaves",
    "url": "https://www.freightwaves.com/news/chemical-shipments-percolate-in-latest-rail-data"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chemical shipments experienced a notable uptick in the latest rail data, marking a 6% increase compared to the same week last year. This upward trend comes after a series of downward fluctuations in the chemicals sector. Other commodities also saw growth, with metallic ores and metals rising by 9.5%, and grain up 9% week-over-week. However, the motor vehicles and parts sector faced a decline, slipping by 10.4% for the week.\n\nIn the broader context of the first 33 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 7,511,910 carloads and 9,301,986 intermodal units, both up 2.7% and 3.8% year-over-year, respectively. This resulted in a total combined traffic of 16,813,896 carloads and intermodal units, marking a 3.3% increase from the previous year.\n\nNorth American railroads, represented by 9 reporting carriers, contributed significantly to this growth, with a 5.5% year-over-year increase in weekly volume and 5.6% in intermodal units. The total North American combined traffic for these carriers was 728,172 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6% year-over-year. The cumulative figure for the first 33 weeks of 2026 stood at 23,071,332 carloads and intermodal units, reflecting a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2025.",
  "summary": "Rail freight posts another solid week led by crude by rail, met ore The post Chemical shipments percolate in latest rail data 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."
}