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
Rail traffic for the week ending August 8, 2026 totaled 526624 carloads and intermodal units combined, up 3.0% year-over-year. Total carloads were 231268, up 1.8% YoY, while intermodal units reached 295356, up 4.1% YoY.
Network Health
BNSF is green, running 24.7 mph with 22.6 hours dwell. UP is green at 24.2 mph and 20.2 hours dwell. CSX is yellow at 23.9 mph and 21.03 hours dwell. NS is yellow at 21.6 mph with 22.0 hours dwell. CPKC is yellow at 21.8 mph but red on dwell at 24.06 hours. CN reports 18.5 hours dwell (green) 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 hit 5.454 per gallon for the week ending August 17, up 3.75% week-over-week and up 8.03% month-over-month from 4.9553. BNSF's fuel surcharge will step to 57 cents per mile effective September 1, from 50 current. UP moves to 65 cents per mile, NS to 71 cents per mile, and CN to 72 cents per mile, all effective September 1.
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
Petroleum and Petroleum Products led the week ending August 8 with 11.2% YoY growth at 11215 carloads. Grain followed at 10.8% YoY growth with 21613 carloads, and Farm Products excl. Grain and Food posted 10.4% YoY growth at 17849 carloads. Coal retreated 6.1% YoY to 57976 carloads.
Lane Watch
Houston, TX to Chicago, IL for 100-ton covered hopper of grain: BNSF single-line routing covers 1244.2 miles with tariff total of 7727.61 USD and fuel surcharge of 622.1 USD (50 cents per mile as of August 16). 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.