AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending September 19, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 23, 2026 - The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 19, 2026.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 535,663 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.9 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending September 19 were 234,207 carloads, up 2.4 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 301,456 containers and trailers, up 6.9 percent compared to 2025.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included metallic ores and metals, up 3,073 carloads, to 23,420; nonmetallic minerals, up 2,209 carloads, to 33,629; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,326 carloads, to 11,976. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 were coal, down 1,889 carloads, to 58,171; grain, down 1,778 carloads, to 21,369; and motor vehicles and parts, down 137 carloads, to 16,636.

For the first 37 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,444,095 carloads, up 2.7 percent from the same point last year; and 10,477,086 intermodal units, up 4.1 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 37 weeks of 2026 was 18,921,181 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending September 19, 2026, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 340,379 carloads, up 3.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 387,419 intermodal units, up 6.0 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 727,798 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2026 was 25,944,601 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.1 percent compared with 2025.

Canadian railroads reported 92,935 carloads for the week, up 3.0 percent, and 72,868 intermodal units, up 0.3 percent compared with the same week in 2025. For the first 37 weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,083,704 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 13,237 carloads for the week, up 16.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,095 intermodal units, up 21.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 37 weeks of 2026 was 939,716 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 7.4 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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