WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was down for a second consecutive week in the period ending Feb. 7, with declines in both carload and intermodal traffic.
Statistics from the Association of American Railroads for the week show a total of 486,854 carloads and intermodal units, a drop of 3.2% from the corresponding week in 2025. The overall figure includes 208,4087 carloads, down 4.8% from a year ago, and 278,446 containers and trailers, down 2%.
Through five weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported total traffic of 2,418,765 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.7% from the same period a year ago. That includes 1,071,966 carloads, up 2.5%, and 1,346,799 intermodal units, down 3.2%.
North American totals for the week, as reported by nine U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 309,723 carloads, up 0.1% from the same week in 2025, and 361,789 intermodal units, also up 0.1%. Not surprisingly, the overall figure of 671,512 carloads and intermodal units also represents a 0.1% increase.
For the year to date, the North American volume of 3,338,702 carloads and intermodal units is also a 0.1% gain over the first five weeks of 2025.
In Canada, railroads reported 87,967 carloads for the week, a gain of 6.4%, and 69,979 intermodal units, an increase of 2.1%. Through five weeks, Canadian volume in 2026 is 780,380 carloads and intermodal units, a decline of 2.1% from 2025.
In Mexico, railroads reported 13,348 carloads for the week, a gain of 69.1% from a year ago, and 13,364 intermodal units, up 51.3%. The year-to-date volume in Mexico of 139,557 carloads and intermodal units is an increase of 38%.
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