For the week ending May 16, 2026, total U.S. rail traffic rose 4.2% from the same point last year, with gains in both carloads (0.6%) and intermodal volume (7.3%), according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) latest report. This marked the sixth consecutive week of traffic upticks.
Total U.S. rail traffic was up 1.7% for the week ending April 11; up 2.5% for the week ending April 18; up 1.9% for the week ending April 25; up 3.9% for the week ending May 2; and up 3.7% for the week ending May 9.
U.S. Class I railroads moved 511,216 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending May 16, 2026, AAR reported May 20. Total carloads came in at 230,497 and intermodal volume was 280,719 containers and trailers.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included grain, up 2,066 carloads, to 23,173; metallic ores and metals, up 1,044 carloads, to 22,450; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,004 carloads, to 11,278. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 were coal, down 3,667 carloads, to 55,302; miscellaneous carloads, down 634 carloads, to 9,658; and nonmetallic minerals, down 136 carloads, to 32,515.
For the first 19 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,297,732 carloads, a 3.4% rise from the same point last year; and 5,262,810 intermodal units, a 0.9% increase from 2025. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 19 weeks of this year was 9,560,542 carloads and intermodal units, rising 2.0% from 2025.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 16, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 341,822 carloads, up 1.6% from the same week last year, and 374,372 intermodal units, up 6.7% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 716,194 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.2% gain. North American rail volume for the first 19 weeks of 2026 was 13,154,868 carloads and intermodal units, rising 1.9% vs. 2025.
For the week ending May 16, 2026, Canadian railroads reported 96,919 carloads, up 4.4%, and 78,109 intermodal units, up 1.0% from the same week in 2025. For the first 19 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,115,805 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 0.3%.
Mexican railroads for the week ending May 16, 2026, reported 14,406 carloads, down 1.2% from the same week last year, and 15,544 intermodal units, up 29.2%. Their cumulative volume for the first 19 weeks of this year was 478,521 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, rising 9.2% from the same point in 2025.