rail

U.S. Rail Traffic Extends Winning Streak to 11 Weeks

U.S. Class I railroads reported 521,998 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 20, 2026, marking the 11th consecutive week of growth at 7.1% year-over-year. Intermodal volume drove gains with 288,739 containers and trailers, up 12.6% from last year.

Seven of ten carload commodity groups improved. Metallic ores and metals rose 2,294 units to 24,579; grain increased 1,752 units to 22,993; and nonmetallic minerals gained 1,333 units to 32,793. Coal shipments declined 3,541 units to 55,786, miscellaneous carloads dropped 1,346 units to 9,376, and motor vehicles and parts fell 195 units to 16,074. Year-to-date cumulative volume through 24 weeks totaled 12,141,119 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.2% from the prior-year period.