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 29, 2026 reached 543212 units, up 4.1% year-over-year, as intermodal units grew 5.7% to 303191.
Network Health
BNSF is green at 24.5 mph system speed and yellow at 22.1 hours average dwell. UP is green at 23.6 mph and green at 20.0 hours dwell. CSX is yellow at 23.6986741861856 mph and green at 20.96 hours dwell. NS is red at 20.5 mph and yellow at 23.7 hours dwell. CN is green on dwell at 18.3 hours with no speed data. CPKC is yellow at 21.2 mph and yellow at 22.35 hours 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
HDF closed the week ending August 31, 2026 at 5.599 per gallon, down 0.94% from 5.652 the prior week. The 12-week trend shows a low of 4.578 on July 6 and a recent climb to current levels. For October 1 effective dates, BNSF sits at 59 cents per mile, UP at 67 cents per mile, NS at 74 cents per mile, CSXT at 42 cents per mile, CN at 75 cents per mile, and CPKC at 70 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
Metallic Ores and Metals led all commodities with an 11.0% year-over-year jump to 24801 carloads for the week ending August 29, 2026. Grain followed with 8.3% growth to 21359 carloads, and Petroleum and Petroleum Products added 8.4% to reach 11450 carloads. Motor Vehicles and Parts declined 6.0% to 16443 carloads.
Lane Watch
Baton Rouge, LA to Chicago, IL via covered hopper for 100 tons of plastic: tariff total 9464.16 across 1003.3 miles. 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.