en.Wedoany.com Reported - U.S. rail freight operations have recently shown improvement. For the week ending June 20, total rail freight volume reached 521,998 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 7.1% compared to the same period last year.

According to weekly data released by the Association of American Railroads, commodity volume for the week was 233,259 carloads, up 1.6% year-on-year; intermodal volume (including containers and trailers) reached 288,739 units, an increase of 12.1% from 2025. Among the 10 commodity categories, 7 posted gains, led by metal ores and metals commonly used in steelmaking (10.3%), followed by forest products (9%) and grain (8.2%).

Despite a weak housing market, shipments of lumber, plywood, and related products still increased. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau for May showed that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of private housing starts fell to 1.177 million units, down 15.4% from April and 8.7% year-on-year. Coal (6%) and motor vehicles and parts (1.2%) experienced seasonal declines.

In the first 24 weeks of 2026, cumulative U.S. rail carloads reached 5,449,203, up 3.2% year-on-year; cumulative intermodal units reached 6,691,916, up 3% year-on-year. With rising truck rates and near-record peak-season import volumes at some maritime gateways, both domestic and international volumes have maintained steady growth. Total U.S. rail volume (carloads and intermodal units combined) for the first 24 weeks reached 12,141,119, an increase of 3.1% year-on-year.

North American rail volume for the week (covering data reported by nine railroads in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) was 337,841 carloads, up 0.9% year-on-year; intermodal units reached 376,727, an increase of 9.2% from 2025. Total volume (carloads and intermodal units combined) was 714,568, up 5.1%. In the first 24 weeks of this year, cumulative North American volume reached 16,708,419 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.7% compared to the same period last year.