Both U.S. Rail Freight and Intermodal Volumes Decline in the Week Ending January 31st

According to the latest data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), both U.S. rail freight and intermodal volumes for the week ending January 31st declined compared to the same period last year. Rail freight volume was recorded at 191,188 carloads, a decrease of 14.0% year-over-year. This figure is lower than the 218,784 carloads from the previous week and the 224,783 carloads from the week before that.

Among the 10 major commodity categories monitored by AAR, only grain transportation showed an increase, rising by 637 carloads to 22,655 carloads. All other categories declined. Coal transportation decreased by 9,888 carloads to 50,189 carloads, nonmetallic minerals dropped by 7,948 carloads to 18,702 carloads, and motor vehicles and parts fell by 4,374 carloads to 11,311 carloads.

During the same period, intermodal containers and trailers numbered 243,173 units, representing a significant year-over-year decrease of 16.6%. This was lower than the 266,924 units from the previous week and the 280,602 units from the week ending January 17th. The decline in intermodal volume reflects the broader adjustments currently underway in the logistics and transportation sector.

Cumulative data for the first four weeks of 2026 shows that total U.S. rail freight volume reached 863,558 carloads, representing a 4.4% increase year-over-year. Meanwhile, the total intermodal volume was 1,068,353 units, a decrease of 3.5% compared to the same period last year. These figures indicate that, despite recent weekly fluctuations, rail freight maintained a certain growth momentum at the beginning of the year.