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
Total rail traffic for the week ending July 11 reached 503525 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.5% year-over-year. Intermodal surged 3.0% to 280485 units, offsetting a 0.4% decline in carloads to 223040.
Network Health
BNSF is green at 25.1 mph and yellow at 23.3 hours dwell. UP is green at 24.5 mph and green at 19.8 hours dwell. CSX is yellow at 23.4 mph and yellow at 23.74 hours dwell. NS is red at 20.4 mph and yellow at 23.3 hours dwell. CPKC is yellow at 21.5 mph and green at 21.06 hours dwell. CN dwell is green at 18.34 hours, but speed data is unavailable.
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 on the week ending July 20 climbed to 5.134 per gallon, a 7.05% spike from 4.796 the prior week. This marks a reversal after a three-week downtrend; the 12-week trend shows prices peaked at 5.64 in early May. For August 1, current fuel surcharge factors hold: BNSF 51 cents per mile, UP 59, NS 64, CSXT 32, CN 65, and CPKC 69 cents per 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 for the week ending July 4 climbed 10.1% year-over-year to 25171 units. BNSF led with 11546 cars, followed by UP at 6227 and CPKC at 2962. Chicago corn futures sit at 4.61, up from 4.416 a week prior and 4.124 a year ago. BNSF shuttle bids are running 75 dollars per car above tariff for July-26 delivery, easing to 25 dollars for August.
Lane Watch
Houston, TX to Chicago, IL, 100-ton covered hopper of grain: the tariff total is 8188.13 across 1244.2 miles. Fuel surcharge adds 634.54 as of July 1. This single-line BNSF routing incurs no interchange fees. 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.