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
Carload traffic for the week ending May 16, 2026 totaled 230497 units, up 0.6 percent year-over-year, while intermodal surged 7.3 percent to 280719 units. Combined rail traffic reached 511216 cars and containers, a 4.2 percent gain.
Network Health
BNSF yellow: 24.7 mph, 22.8 hrs dwell. UP green: 24.7 mph, 19.5 hrs dwell. CSX yellow: 24.143025393118517 mph, 21.8 hrs dwell. NS red: 19.6 mph, 24.6 hrs dwell. CN green on dwell at 18.13 hrs, speed data unavailable. CPKC yellow: 23.1 mph, 21.77 hrs dwell.
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
Diesel fuel (ULSD) settled at 5.596 per gallon for the week ending May 18, down 0.76 percent from 5.639 the prior week. Month-to-date average stands at 5.625, a 2.25 percent rise versus April's 5.5012. Class I carriers' fuel surcharges remain stable into June: BNSF 61 cents/mile, UP 69 cents/mile, NS 76 cents/mile, CSXT 44 cents/mile, CN 77 cents/mile, and CPKC 74 cents/mile.
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
Grain carloads jumped 9.8 percent year-over-year for the week ending May 16, with 23173 units moved. Petroleum and petroleum products also posted a 9.8 percent gain at 11278 carloads, while forest products climbed 8.9 percent to 8636 units. Coal declined 6.2 percent to 55302 carloads, dragging overall carload growth.
Lane Watch
Lane data unavailable due to timeout. 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.