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 September 5, 2026 totaled 533545 carloads and intermodal units combined, up 13.8% year-over-year. Intermodal alone jumped 18.0% to 299148 units, while carloads rose 8.9% to 234397.
Network Health
BNSF is green with speed 24.4 mph and dwell 22.5 hours. UP is green at 23.8 mph with dwell 20.2 hours. CSX is yellow at 23.81844901479583 mph with dwell 21.04 hours. NS is red at 20.8 mph with dwell 24.0 hours. CPKC is yellow at 20.9 mph with dwell 23.05 hours. CN data shows dwell 18.58 hours (green) but speed is not available.
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-for-heating oil traded at 6.285 per gallon on September 14, up 5.33% week-over-week and 12.16% month-over-month from August's 5.462 average. BNSF current fuel surcharge stands 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; CPKC at 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
Metallic Ores and Metals led all commodities with a 26.6% year-over-year gain for the week ending September 5, posting 23122 carloads. Grain followed at 24.1%, while Farm Products excl. Grain and Food rose 15.3%. Coal declined 5.8% as seasonal demand softened.
Lane Watch
Corpus Christi, TX to Memphis, TN: one covered-hopper of plastic (100 tons) via UP totals 777.4 miles and 8086.18 in tariff. 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.