U.S. Class I railroads hauled 481,708 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Jan. 24, 2026, the AAR reported Jan. 28. Total carloads came in at 214,784, increasing 13.7%, and intermodal volume was 266,924 containers and trailers, rising 0.5% from the same week in 2025.
All of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included coal, up 6,656 carloads, to 58,954; nonmetallic minerals, up 6,626 carloads, to 25,783; and chemicals, up 4,987 carloads, to 33,773.
For the first three weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 672,370 carloads, up 11.2% from the same point last year; and 825,180 intermodal units, up 1.2% from 2025. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first three weeks of 2026 was 1,497,550 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 5.5% percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Jan. 24, 2026, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 317,001 carloads, up 10.1% compared with the same week last year, and 347,873 intermodal units, up 1.3% from 2025. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 664,874 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.3%. North American rail volume for the first three weeks of 2026 was 2,056,530 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.7% compared with 2025.
Fo the week ending Jan. 24, 2026, Canadian railroads reported 88,348 carloads, dropping 0.6%, and 66,285 intermodal units, down 1.4% compared with the same week in 2025. For the first three weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 474,435 carloads, containers and trailers, down 2.0%.
Mexican railroads reported 13,869 carloads for the week ending Jan. 24, 2026, up 34.8% compared with the same week last year, and 14,664 intermodal units, up 41.3%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first three weeks of 2026 was 84,545 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 41.7% from the same point in 2025.
