Total carloads for the week ending April 4, 2026, were 229,243 carloads, up 1.0% from the prior-year period, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 272,085 containers and trailers, down 0.6% from last year, according to the AAR.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included grain, up 1,780 carloads, to 25,052; chemicals, up 1,492 carloads, to 34,933; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,264 carloads, to 10,734. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 included coal, down 2,466 carloads, to 56,069; metallic ores and metals, down 1,133 carloads, to 19,743; and nonmetallic minerals, down 669 carloads, to 31,102.
For the first 13 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,913,351 carloads, rising 3.9% from the same point last year; and 3,583,488 intermodal units, down 0.2% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 13 weeks of this year was 6,496,839 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.6% increase over 2025.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 4, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 334,152 carloads, up 2.1% from the same week last year, and 355,083 intermodal units, up 0.6% over last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 689,235 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.3%. North American rail volume for the first 13 weeks of this year was 8,934,659 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% from 2025.
Canadian railroads reported 92,179 carloads for the week, down 0.7%, and 70,143 intermodal units, down 2.6% compared with the same week in 2025. For the first 13 weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,094,505 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.7%.
Mexican railroads reported 12,730 carloads for the week ending April 4, 2026, up 75.3% compared with the same week last year, and 12,855 intermodal units, up 79.5%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 13 weeks of 2026 was 343,315 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 13.4% from the same point last year.
Further Reading:
- AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Flat for Week 12
- AAR: North American Rail Volume Up Slightly Through Week 11
- AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Up for Fourth Consecutive Week
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