AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending March 21, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 25, 2026 - The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 21, 2026.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 502,252 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending March 21 were 227,583 carloads, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 274,669 containers and trailers, up 1.2 percent compared to 2025.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included chemicals, up 2,158 carloads, to 36,302; coal, up 918 carloads, to 58,312; and grain, up 749 carloads, to 22,989. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 included metallic ores and metals, down 1,122 carloads, to 19,087; forest products, down 361 carloads, to 7,841; and nonmetallic minerals, down 319 carloads, to 29,289.

For the first 11 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,450,275 carloads, up 4.7 percent from the same point last year; and 3,029,315 intermodal units, down 0.4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 11 weeks of 2026 was 5,479,590 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending March 21, 2026, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 331,402 carloads, down 0.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 361,692 intermodal units, down 0.0 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 693,094 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 11 weeks of 2026 was 7,531,662 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1 percent compared with 2025.

Canadian railroads reported 90,910 carloads for the week, down 2.7 percent, and 73,440 intermodal units, down 4.4 percent compared with the same week in 2025. For the first 11 weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,763,891 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.3 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 12,909 carloads for the week, down 6.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,583 intermodal units, down 0.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 11 weeks of 2026 was 288,181 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 11.7 percent from the same point last year.

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For more information, contact: AAR Media Relations at [email protected] or 202-639-2345.

About AAR: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers. AAR members include the major freight railroads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Learn more at www.aar.org.

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