The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 31, 2026.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 434,361 carloads and intermodal units, down 15.5 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending January 31 were 191,188 carloads, down 14.0 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 243,173 containers and trailers, down 16.6 percent compared to 2025.
One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. It was grain, up 637 carloads, to 22,655. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 included coal, down 9,888 carloads to 50,189; nonmetallic minerals, down 7,948 carloads to 18,702; and motor vehicles and parts, down 4,374 carloads to 11,311.
For the first four weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 863,558 carloads, up 4.4 percent from the same point last year; and 1,068,353 intermodal units, down 3.5 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first four weeks of 2026 was 1,931,911 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 0.1 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending January 31, 2026, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 292,065 carloads, down 10.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 318,595 intermodal units, down 15.0 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 610,660 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first four weeks of 2026 was 2,667,190 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.1 percent compared with 2025.
Canadian railroads reported 87,405 carloads for the week, down 3.1 percent, and 60,594 intermodal units, down 15.0 percent compared with the same week in 2025. For the first four weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 622,434 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 3.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 13,472 carloads for the week, up 4.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 14,828 intermodal units, up 25.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first four weeks of 2026 was 112,845 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 33.8 percent from the same point last year.
