Results for Week 6 were similar. Total U.S. rail traffic rose 6.2% for the week ending Feb. 14, 2026.
U.S. Class I railroads hauled 507,712 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Feb. 21, 2026, according to the AAR. Total carloads came in at 227,124 up 17.6%, and intermodal volume was 280,588 containers and trailers, up 5.8% from the same week last year.
For the week ending Feb. 21, 2026, nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included coal, up 10,972 carloads, to 58,828; grain, up 8,121 carloads, to 24,463; and nonmetallic minerals, up 5,365 carloads, to 28,181. One commodity group posted a decrease compared with the same week in 2025: forest products, down 137 carloads, to 8,242.
For the first seven weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,524,373 carloads, up 5.3% from the same point last year; and 1,912,503 intermodal units, down 0.8% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first seven weeks of 2026 was 3,436,876 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.8% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 21, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,836 carloads, up 15.6% compared with the same week last year, and 364,182 intermodal units, up 9.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 695,018 carloads and intermodal units, up 12.2%. North American rail volume for the first seven weeks of 2026 was 4,730,362 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6% compared with 2025.
For the week ending Feb. 21, 2026, Canadian railroads reported 90,075 carloads, an increase of 14.0%, and 68,824 intermodal units, an increase of 22.8% compared with the same week in 2025. For the first seven weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,106,192 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.0%.
Mexican railroads reported 13,637 carloads for the week ending Feb. 21, 2026, down 2.8% from the prior-year period, and 14,770 intermodal units, up 24.5%. Their cumulative volume for the first seven weeks of 2026 was 187,294 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 23.5% from the same point last year.
