Total carloads for the week ending March 28, 2026, were 233,833 carloads, down 0.8% from the prior-year period, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 282,088 containers and trailers, up 1.6% 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 chemicals, up 2,027 carloads, to 36,589; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,129 carloads, to 11,239; and grain, up 819 carloads, to 24,010. Commodity groups that posted declines included coal, down 5,295 carloads, to 57,636; nonmetallic minerals, down 1,186 carloads, to 30,174; and metallic ores and metals, down 406 carloads, to 20,201.
For the first 12 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,684,108 carloads, rising 4.2% from the same point last year; and 3,311,403 intermodal units, down 0.2% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 12 weeks of this year was 5,995,511 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.7% increase over 2025.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 28, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 342,214 carloads, dipping 2.1% from the same week last year, and 371,548 intermodal units, gaining 0.8% over last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 713,762 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6%. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of this year was 8,245,424 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% from 2025.
For the week ending March 28, 2026, Canadian railroads reported 94,298 carloads, falling 2.4%, and 73,994 intermodal units, dropping 4.8% compared with the same week in 2025. For the first 12 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,932,183 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 0.9%.
Mexican railroads reported 14,083 carloads for the week ending March 28, 2026, an 18.5% decrease compared with the same week last year, and 15,466 intermodal units, a 16.9% gain over last year. Their cumulative volume for the first 12 weeks of this year was 317,730 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, rising 10.2% from the same point in 2025.
