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TransportNewsCA · US · MX corridorFreight markets and cross-border tradeWednesday, November 4, 2026
Ports & Rail

US rail intermodal up 12.6% as North American rail traffic climbs 7.2%

The Association of American Railroads' figures for the week ending Oct. 17 show strong container and trailer volumes in the U.S. and Mexico, while Canadian intermodal slipped slightly.

By Transport News Staff ·

U.S. railroads moved 540,135 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Oct. 17, up 8.5% from the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Intermodal led the gain. U.S. railroads handled 308,015 containers and trailers, up 12.6%. Carloads rose 3.5% to 232,120.

Commodities

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups grew from a year earlier:

  • Metallic ores and metals: up 2,946 carloads to 23,306
  • Grain: up 1,470 carloads to 22,486
  • Farm products excluding grain, and food: up 1,103 carloads to 18,776

Nonmetallic minerals was the only group that fell, down 1,089 carloads to 32,428.

For the first 41 weeks of 2026, U.S. carloads are up 2.7% at 9,374,717, and intermodal units are up 4.6% at 11,687,964.

Canada and Mexico

Across nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, North American traffic for the week totaled 731,715 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.2%.

  • Canada: 95,392 carloads, up 3.3%. Intermodal units fell 0.7% to 70,389. Year-to-date Canadian volume is up 1.3% at 6,750,758 units.
  • Mexico: 11,522 carloads, down 1.6%. Intermodal jumped 43.6% to 14,277 units. Year-to-date Mexican volume is up 4.8% at 1,015,254 units.

Port volumes are behind the boxes

Import volumes on the West Coast are also running high. The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,042,652 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in September, the busiest month in its history. Loaded imports rose 19% from a year earlier to 545,696 TEUs. Executive Director Gene Seroka said importers are rebuilding inventories, and that tariffs being lower than earlier in the year has given them more certainty about costs.

Intermodal record expected

In the September Cass Transportation Index report, ACT Research estimated that North American intermodal volumes will reach 19.3 million loads in 2026. That would beat the record of 18.9 million set in 2018. ACT expects 2027 to set another record, with intermodal's cost advantage over trucking above average. ACT said rail executives told it they have spare capacity and are stacking chassis to prepare.

What it means for carriers

Rail competes with long-haul dry van freight. ACT says intermodal's cost advantage is above average, and diesel is above $6 a gallon. Strong intermodal growth also creates work: drayage and first- and last-mile moves around rail ramps and ports. Truckload carriers on long lanes from Southern California, and on Mexico rail corridors, should expect rail to keep competing hard for that freight.

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