Rail Pulse is Steel Wheel Logistics' weekly read on what actually moved on the U.S. rail network last week. Every figure is sourced from public AAR, STB, EIA, and USDA filings and linked at the bottom. Every word of analysis is anchored to those numbers — no estimates, no extrapolation.
The Number
511,616 total rail units moved in the week ending April 25, 2026, up 1.9% year over year. Intermodal carried the load, posting 281,788 units at plus 4.9% YoY while carloads slipped to 229,828, down 1.5%. Total traffic rose 0.65% week over week from 508,303 units.
Network Health
As of April 29, UP leads on speed at 24.7 mph (green) with dwell of 20.0 hours (green), followed by BNSF at 25.3 mph (green) though its dwell of 22.1 hours tips yellow. CSX runs 23.8 mph (yellow) with dwell of 20.97 hours (green). NS is the outlier at 20.6 mph (red) and dwell of 23.9 hours (yellow), a combination that warrants close transit-time scrutiny on eastern corridors. CPKC sits at 21.6 mph (yellow) and 22.95 hours dwell (yellow); CN dwell of 20.25 hours is green but system speed data was not reported this period.
Color codes: green = speed ≥24 mph or dwell <22 hrs; yellow = speed 21–24 mph or dwell 22–26 hrs; red = speed <21 mph or dwell >26 hrs. Source: STB EP724 weekly Class I performance filings.
Fuel Watch
Highway diesel closed at $5.64 per gallon on May 4, up 5.4% from $5.351 the prior week and extending a climb that began in mid-February. Current mileage-based fuel surcharge factors effective June 1 stand at 61 cents per mile for BNSF, 69 for UP, 76 for NS, 44 for CSXT, 77 for CN, and 74 for CPKC. Next-period factors for BNSF, UP, NS, CSXT, and CN are not yet published; CPKC has confirmed 74 cents per mile through the May 1 to May 15, 2026 period.
Want to see how a fuel-surcharge change hits a specific lane? Run a free rail rate quote — FSC is broken out per leg.
Commodity Spotlight
The Other commodities category posted the largest absolute year-over-year swing for the week ending April 25, 2026, falling 9.3% to 8,900 carloads. Coal was the next notable mover, down 7.8% to 55,082 carloads, though its week-over-week trend was modestly positive at plus 0.88%. On the upside, Petroleum and Petroleum Products led gainers at plus 7.7% YoY with 10,479 carloads, even as it shed 6.09% week over week.
Lane Watch
The indicative rate data for the Houston, TX to Chicago, IL covered hopper grain lane was unavailable this issue due to a data retrieval timeout; tariff total and mileage figures cannot be cited. To run an indicative estimate on this lane or discuss your shipment with our team, visit steelwheellogistics.com/tools/rail-rate-quote.
Pricing a specific carload move? Run an indicative estimate through the live rail rate calculator. Already have cars on the ground? The demurrage calculator uses current Class I rate structures, and the transload directory lists rail-served terminals nationwide.
Sources
- AAR Weekly Rail Traffic Report
- STB Class I Weekly Performance Data (49 CFR 1250)
- EIA U.S. Weekly Retail On-Highway Diesel Average
- USDA AMS Grain Transportation Report
Rail Pulse is published every Tuesday morning, after the AAR Weekly Rail Traffic Report releases. We pull, validate, and compose — no figures are introduced beyond what these sources publish.