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 22 reached 532462 units, up 4.2% year-over-year, as carloads climbed 3.2% to 235885 and intermodal units rose 5.0% to 296577.
Network Health
BNSF is green with speed 24.8 mph and dwell 22.4 hours. UP is green at 23.9 mph with dwell 19.8 hours. CSX is yellow at 23.0 mph with dwell 21.95 hours. NS is red at speed 20.5 mph and dwell 23.6 hours. CPKC is yellow at 21.0 mph and dwell 22.76 hours. CN dwell is green at 19.36 hours; speed data 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
HDF settled at 5.599 per gallon as of August 31, down 0.94% from the prior week at 5.652. The 12-week trend shows HDF climbing from 4.578 on July 6 to the current level, tracking seasonal summer volatility. Current FSC factors: BNSF 59 cents per mile, UP 67, NS 74, CSXT 42, CN 75, and CPKC 70 cents per mile, all effective October 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 all commodities with a 17.4% year-over-year surge to 11468 carloads for the week ending August 22. Metallic Ores and Metals followed with 9.5% growth to 23663 carloads, while Grain posted 9.0% growth to 22260 carloads. Coal, the largest commodity by volume at 61904 carloads, grew only 1.7%, and Motor Vehicles declined 10.4% to 15849 carloads.
Lane Watch
Houston, TX to Atlanta, GA for 100 tons of plastic in a covered hopper: tariff total 8567.23, miles 855.7. The route uses UP and CSXT with one interchange. 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.