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 August 1, 2026 reached 526410 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4 percent year-over-year. Carloads alone fell 0.4 percent to 233171, while intermodal surged 4.8 percent to 293239 units.
Network Health
BNSF is green on speed (24.9 mph) and yellow on dwell (22.2 hours). UP is green across both metrics at 24.2 mph speed and 20.0 hours dwell. CSX is yellow on speed (23.8 mph) and green on dwell (21.37 hours). NS is yellow on speed (21.5 mph) and yellow on dwell (22.0 hours). CN has green dwell at 19.08 hours but no speed data. CPKC is red on speed (20.9 mph) and yellow on dwell (22.25 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
Diesel-heating oil closed the week at 5.257 per gallon on August 10, down 1.7 percent from 5.348 a week prior. Month-to-date average of 5.3025 sits 7.01 percent above July's 4.9553 average. FSC factors for September 1 are not yet published; current rates stand at BNSF 50 cents per mile, UP 58, NS 62, CSXT 31, CN 64, and CPKC 54.
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 YoY move at 9.1 percent for the week ending August 1, climbing to 24050 carloads. Petroleum and Petroleum Products followed at 5.9 percent growth. Coal slid 7.7 percent to 57451 carloads, the week's steepest decline.
Lane Watch
A 100-ton covered hopper of grain from Houston, TX to Chicago, IL via BNSF moves 1244.2 miles with a tariff total of 8175.69 USD. 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.