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 September 26, 2026 was 537397 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.8% year-over-year.
Network Health
BNSF: green (24.9 mph, 21.6 hrs dwell). UP: green (24.3 mph, 19.8 hrs dwell). CSX: green (24.6 mph, 20.3 hrs dwell). NS: yellow (21.0 mph, 23.5 hrs dwell). CPKC: yellow (21.0 mph, 23.5 hrs dwell). CN: green on dwell (17.47 hrs) but 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
Heating oil dropped 2.87% week-over-week to $6.199/gal as of October 5, 2026. November fuel surcharges are set: BNSF 76¢/mi, UP 84¢/mi, NS 95¢/mi, CSXT 64¢/mi, CN 95¢/mi, CPKC 80¢/mi (effective November 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
Other commodities led YoY growth at 11.5% for the week ending September 26, logging 9626 carloads. Metallic ores and metals followed at 9.5% (22820 carloads), and petroleum products surged 9.4% (11319 carloads). Coal slipped 2.1% to 58280 carloads.
Lane Watch
Savannah, GA to Dallas, TX: 100-ton boxcar of paper. Tariff total is $10,613.11 across 1,095.5 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.