Ag, chemicals among leading gainers in freight data
Carload and intermodal traffic both continued to show modest gains over last year in U.S. rail traffic figures for the week ending May 9.
Figures from the Association of American Railroads show total traffic for the week was 513,755 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7% from the same week a year ago. That includes 229,592 carloads, an increase of 3.3%, and 284,163 containers and trailers, up 4%.
Grain, up 16.7%, has been a solid performer most of this year, while chemicals, better by 6%, are usually an indicator of downstream industrial output.
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Through 18 weeks of 2026, total combined traffic is 9,049,326 carloads and intermodal units, a gain of 1.9% from the same period in 2025. The overall figure includes 4,067,235 carloads, up 3.6%, and 4,982,091 intermodal units, up 0.6%.
North American figures for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 336,095 carloads, an increase of 2% from the corresponding week a year ago, and 371,416 intermodal units, a gain of 2.3%. The total figure of 707,511 carloads and intermodal units is a gain of 2.1%. For the year to date, North American railroads report handling 12,468,690 carloads and intermodal units, a 2% increase over the first 18 weeks of 2025.
Canadian traffic for the week included 92,948 carloads, down 1.4% from the same week a year ago, and 874,677 intermodal units, down 6.4%. The year-to-date figure of 2,940,777 carloads and intermodal units is a 0.2% increase over the first 18 weeks of 2025.
In Mexico, railroads reported 13,555 carloads for the week, up 2.8% from the corresponding week in 2025, and 12,576 intermodal units, up 27%. The cumulative volume of 478,587 carloads and intermodal units is a 16.3% gain from the same period in 2025.
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