The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 23, 2026.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 523,574 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May 23 were 230,831 carloads, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 292,743 containers and trailers, up 11.5 percent compared to 2025.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included grain, up 3,064 carloads, to 23,151; metallic ores and metals, up 1,933 carloads, to 23,420; and motor vehicles and parts, up 382 carloads, to 16,866. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 included coal, down 733 carloads, to 55,526; miscellaneous carloads, down 281 carloads, to 10,245; and forest products, down 64 carloads, to 8,275.
For the first 20 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 4,528,563 carloads, up 3.3 percent from the same point last year, and 5,555,553 intermodal units, up 1.4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 20 weeks of 2026 was 10,084,116 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.3 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 23, 2026, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 340,946 carloads, up 3.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 381,548 intermodal units, up 10.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 722,494 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first 20 weeks of 2026 was 13,877,362 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1 percent compared with 2025.
Canadian railroads reported 95,467 carloads for the week, up 9.2 percent, and 73,496 intermodal units, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week in 2025. For the first 20 weeks of 2026, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,284,768 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 0.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 14,648 carloads for the week, down 4.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 15,309 intermodal units, up 45.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 20 weeks of 2026 was 508,478 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 9.6 percent from the same point last year.
