Freight and Capacity
US Freight Rail Volume Statistics 2026
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The latest verified U.S. freight rail snapshot covers the first 26 weeks of 2026. The Association of American Railroads reports 5,894,302 carloads, up 3.2 percent from the same point in 2025, and 7,254,412 intermodal units, up 3.6 percent. Combined U.S. traffic was 13,148,714 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.4 percent. These are reported counts, not a forecast for the rest of the year.
US freight rail volume statistics
Carloads describe commodity rail traffic. Intermodal volume counts containers and trailers. A combined total gives a broad pulse, but it should not erase the difference between the two operating flows.
| Measure | 2026 through week 26 | Year-over-year change | Reference period |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. carloads | 5,894,302 | +3.2% | First 26 weeks |
| U.S. intermodal | 7,254,412 | +3.6% | First 26 weeks |
| Combined U.S. traffic | 13,148,714 | +3.4% | First 26 weeks |
The comparison is with the same point in 2025. It is not a seasonally adjusted index and does not measure tons, revenue, dwell, or service reliability.
What changed in the first half of 2026
For the week ending July 4, U.S. carloads were 212,691, up 3.7 percent year over year. Intermodal volume was 269,430 units, up 12.9 percent. A holiday week can have timing effects, so the cumulative 26-week comparison is the better headline.
Nine of ten carload commodity groups increased in that week. Coal was the exception, down 4,197 carloads to 48,841. The result is evidence about that reported week, not proof that every commodity lane is expanding.
AAR's July Rail Industry Overview reports six consecutive months of carload growth through June, a new monthly record for average weekly intermodal volume, and second-quarter carloads at their highest level since late 2019. Its second-quarter comparison shows carloads up 2.3 percent and intermodal up 6.7 percent from the second quarter of 2025.
How to use the measures in freight planning
Start with the movement type. A team planning containerized imports should monitor intermodal units, terminal availability, train schedules, and the rail-to-drayage handoff. A team moving grain, chemicals, metals, food, or other commodities should monitor carloads by commodity and route.
Record the publisher, release date, reference period, definition, unit, and comparison basis. This makes it possible to distinguish a change in traffic from a change in the reporting window. The freight coordination checklist offers a useful pattern for naming source records, exception triggers, and owners.
Volume is not capacity or service
Higher traffic counts do not establish spare capacity. Capacity planning also depends on equipment, terminals, train frequency, crews, interchange, dwell, and the service conditions on the relevant railroad. The Surface Transportation Board rail service data (opens in a new tab) provide Class I measures such as terminal dwell and cars held. Those measures answer a different question from how many units moved.
| Planning question | Measure | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Is rail traffic growing? | AAR carloads and intermodal units | Dated external direction |
| Which freight is moving? | AAR commodity groups | Mix review |
| Is the network absorbing traffic? | STB dwell and cars-held data | Service exception review |
| Is a gateway receiving more cargo? | Port TEU statistics | Gateway context |
| What is the wider backdrop? | BTS, FAF, Census, and Fed data | Cross-check, not forecast |
Related indicators for operations teams
The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,002,734 TEUs in June 2026, up 12.37 percent from June 2025. Calendar-year 2026 volume through June was 5,122,603 TEUs, up 3.37 percent. Port throughput is a gateway measure, not a national rail measure, but it gives intermodal planners context for import surges and downstream handoffs.
BLS reports 149,900 seasonally adjusted rail transportation employees in June 2026, preliminary. The Federal Reserve reports total industrial production at 102.6 percent of its 2017 average in June, 1.1 percent above June 2025. EIA reports U.S. on-highway diesel at $5.134 per gallon for the week of July 20. These indicators have different definitions and release schedules, so label them as context.
The benefits of using a 3PL provider article describes coordination support and boundaries. A support team can organize source records and exceptions, while the client retains commercial, carrier, safety, and network authority.
What the current data can establish
The data establish that reported U.S. rail traffic was higher year over year through week 26, with intermodal growth slightly faster than carload growth. They do not establish a freight rate, warehouse labor requirement, customer forecast, service guarantee, or local terminal capacity. If an internal queue changes at the same time as national rail traffic, compare shipment, lead-time, inventory, and customer records before assigning a cause.
A repeatable rail-volume review
- Save the AAR release and record the reference week or cumulative period.
- Keep carloads and intermodal units in separate fields with their original units.
- Compare the same period in the prior year.
- Break carloads into relevant commodity groups.
- Pair volume with STB service data for the relevant Class I network.
- Treat gateway, industrial output, fuel, employment, and trade data as labeled context.
- Document the operational decision, owner, and next review date separately.
Sources
Fifteen authoritative sources were reviewed on 2026-08-02. AAR supplies the headline counts. Other sources provide definitions, service measures, planning context, or adjacent gateway and economic indicators.
- AAR, weekly U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 4, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- AAR, July 2026 Rail Industry Overview (opens in a new tab)
- AAR, Freight Rail Data Center (opens in a new tab)
- Surface Transportation Board, Rail Service Data (opens in a new tab)
- Surface Transportation Board, Economic Data (opens in a new tab)
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Freight Facts and Figures (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Railroad Administration, Freight Rail Overview (opens in a new tab)
- FHWA, Freight Analysis Framework (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade Data Products (opens in a new tab)
- BLS, Rail Transportation: NAICS 482 (opens in a new tab)
- EIA, Weekly Retail On-Highway Diesel Prices (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Reserve, Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization G.17 (opens in a new tab)
- Port of Los Angeles, June 2026 cargo release (opens in a new tab)
- Port of Los Angeles, Container Statistics (opens in a new tab)
- BTS, Freight Transportation Data (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest U.S. freight rail volume figure in this review?
Through the first 26 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported 5,894,302 carloads and 7,254,412 intermodal units. Combined traffic was 13,148,714 units, up 3.4 percent from the same point in 2025.
Are carloads and intermodal units interchangeable?
No. Carloads describe railcar traffic, while intermodal units count containers and trailers. Keep them separate when setting thresholds or assigning an owner.
Does rising rail traffic forecast a company's demand?
No. It is a national external indicator. Use company orders, inventory, shipment, and customer records for company-specific decisions.
What should a team do when a new release arrives?
Save the release, preserve the source date and unit, compare the same period, check revisions, and update the internal review record.
Related Reading
For workflow context, review the freight coordination checklist and the benefits of using a 3PL provider. These links are contextual references, not additional rail-volume evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the latest U.S. freight rail volume figure in this review?
AAR reports 5,894,302 carloads and 7,254,412 intermodal units through the first 26 weeks of 2026.
Are carloads and intermodal units interchangeable?
No. Carloads describe railcar traffic, while intermodal units count containers and trailers.
Do rising rail volumes prove that one company's demand will rise?
No. National rail traffic is external context and does not predict a company's orders, inventory, rates, or labor needs.