New year brings fresh growth for U.S. rail freight

Strong Start for U.S. Railroads in 2026

U.S. railroads began 2026 on a high note, rebounding from last year's uncertainty with impressive growth during the first complete week of the year.

Data from the Association of American Railroads shows that for the week ending January 10, total rail traffic reached 510,457 carloads and intermodal units—a 9.7% increase compared to the same period in 2025. This figure includes 232,803 carloads, which is a 16.7% rise, and 277,654 containers and trailers, up 4.4% year-over-year.

Top-Performing Commodities

• Nonmetallic minerals surged by 29.4%
• Coal shipments climbed 27.2%
• Grain traffic increased 23.3%
• Forest products were the only sector to decline, dropping 8.7%

(Chart: AAR)

North American Rail Traffic Overview

Across North America, nine major railroads in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico reported a combined total of 696,484 carloads and intermodal units for the week—up 7.7% from the same week last year. This includes 333,712 carloads (an 11.1% increase) and 362,772 intermodal units (up 4.8%).

• Canada: 87,561 carloads (down 4.2%) and 70,664 intermodal units (down 1%), totaling 158,225 units—a 2.8% decrease
• Mexico: 13,348 carloads (up 41.5%) and 14,454 intermodal units (up 65.5%), for a total of 27,802 units—a 53% jump

Since this was the first full reporting week of 2026, these numbers also represent the year-to-date totals.