For the week ending Jan. 17, 2026, there were 224,783 carloads, rising 3.9% from the same week in 2025, and 280,602 intermodal containers and trailers, dipping 1.1% from 2025, according to the AAR.
In comparison, for the first week of 2026 (ending Jan. 10), U.S. Class I railroads carried 232,803 carloads, up 16.7% compared with the same week in 2025, and 277,654 containers and trailers, up 4.4% compared with 2025. Cumulative volume was 510,457 carloads and intermodal units, up 9.7% from the same point in 2025.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase for the week ending Jan. 17, 2026, compared with the same week in 2025. They were grain, up 5,070 carloads, to 25,786; nonmetallic minerals, up 3,612 carloads, to 28,232; and metallic ores and metals, up 2,285 carloads, to 19,973. Commodity groups that posted declines included chemicals, down 750 carloads, to 33,412; motor vehicles and parts, down 448 carloads, to 13,306; and coal, down 403 carloads, to 58,641.
For the first two weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 457,586 carloads, up 10.0% from the prior-year period; and 558,256 intermodal units, up 1.6% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first two weeks of this year came in at 1,015,842 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 5.2% compared with 2025.
North American rail volume for the week ending Jan. 17, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 327,894 carloads, rising 2.6% from the same week last year, and 367,278 intermodal units, virtually flat at 0.2% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 695,172 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.3%. North American rail volume for the first two weeks of 2026 was 1,391,656 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.4% gain over 2025.
For the week ending Jan. 17, 2026, Canadian railroads reported 90,331 carloads, down 1.9%, and 71,246 intermodal units, down 2.6% from the same week last year. For the first two weeks of 2026, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 319,802 carloads, containers, and trailers, a decrease of 2.5%.
Mexican railroads reported 12,780 carloads for the week ending Jan. 17, 2026, a 13.8% increase from the prior-year period, and 15,430 intermodal units, a 60.9% boost over last year. Their cumulative volume for the first two weeks of 2026 was 56,012 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a 43.7% gain over the same point last year.
* Editor’s Note: For rail traffic purposes, a week that bridges two different years is assigned to the year in which most of the days of that week fall. The week ending Jan. 3, 2026, had most of its days in 2025, so it is assigned to 2025. Because of the way the calendar fell in 2025, the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, was week 53 of 2025. A year having 53 weeks happens every few years. Rail traffic comparisons are always made to the corresponding period 52 weeks earlier. This means the comparison week for a week 53 is Week 1 of the same year. To ensure comparability across years, Week 53 is ignored when computing annual totals. Instead, annual totals are always weeks 1-52. The first week of 2026 ended Jan. 10.
