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
518,773 total rail units moved in the week ending May 2, 2026, up 3.9% year over year and 1.4% from the prior week, as carloads and intermodal both posted gains.
Network Health
As of May 6, 2026, BNSF runs green on speed at 24.9 mph but yellow on dwell at 22.3 hours. UP is green on both, posting 24.9 mph and 20.0 hours dwell. CSX is green on speed at 24.48155458601284 mph and green on dwell at 20.74 hours. NS is red on speed at 20.1 mph and yellow on dwell at 23.5 hours. CPKC is yellow on speed at 22.4 mph and green on dwell at 21.13 hours. CN speed data is unavailable this period; its dwell reads green at 18.52 hours.
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 came in at $5.639 per gallon as of May 11, 2026, essentially flat against the prior week's $5.64 and up 2.51% from last month's average of $5.5012. 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.
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
Metallic Ores and Metals posted the largest year-over-year move of any AAR commodity in the week ending May 2, 2026, surging 20.6% to 23,164 carloads. That compares to 19,357 carloads on a year-to-date weekly average basis, underscoring that this week's volume is running well ahead of the sustained pace. Shippers moving metals should note the week-over-week gain of 1,941 carloads, a 9.15% jump from the prior week's 21,223.
Lane Watch
The lanedemo data returned a timed-out error this issue, so no tariff total or mileage figure is available for the Houston, TX to Chicago, IL covered hopper move. For an indicative estimate on that corridor or any grain shipment, run an indicative estimate at 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.