05/20/2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 20, 2026 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 16, 2026.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 511,216 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May 16 were 230,497 carloads, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week in 2025, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 280,719 containers and trailers, up 7.3 percent compared to 2025.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included grain, up 2,066 carloads, to 23,173; metallic ores and metals, up 1,044 carloads, to 22,450; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,004 carloads, to 11,278. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2025 were coal, down 3,667 carloads, to 55,302; miscellaneous carloads, down 634 carloads, to 9,658; and nonmetallic minerals, down 136 carloads, to 32,515.
For the first 19 weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,297,732 carloads, up 3.4 percent from the same point last year; and 5,262,810 intermodal units, up 0.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 19 weeks of 2026 was 9,560,542 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.0 percent compared to last year.
