Port of Houston, TX rail freight: what lands here and where it goes inland
The largest vessel imports here, year to date through July 2026, are mineral fuels (about $5,875 million), steel articles and pipe (about $3,537 million), organic chemicals (about $1,876 million) among the 22 commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks. The port district is reached by Union Pacific, BNSF Railway and CPKC, which is what makes the Houston gateway useful for shippers whose plants sit hundreds of miles inland. Houston Ship Channel; PTRA switching. This page pairs the Census import data behind the Commodity Flow Map port layer with the railroads, transload capacity and inland lanes that turn a vessel arrival into a rail move.
Top imports by vessel
Vessel imports at Houston, TX, year to date through July 2026, US$ millions, for the commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks.
| HS chapter | Commodity group | Vessel imports YTD |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Mineral fuels · crude oil by rail | $5,875M |
| 73 | Steel articles and pipe · steel by rail | $3,537M |
| 29 | Organic chemicals · chemicals by rail | $1,876M |
| 39 | Plastics and resin | $1,874M |
| 02 | Meat | $1,227M |
| 72 | Iron and steel · steel by rail | $1,075M |
| Total, tracked chapters | $20,701M | |
Railroads at the port
- Union Pacific (UP)
- BNSF Railway (BNSF)
- CPKC
Where more than one Class I reaches a port, the routing choice sets the inland rate, the interchange points and which inland terminals are single-line. That is the first question a lane audit answers.
Rail transload and terminal capacity nearby
Rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port, from the Steel Wheel Transload Directory:
- Port Houston — Turning Basin / City Docks General Cargo Complex — Houston, TX (2 mi): port-terminal; breakbulk, warehousing, vessel-rail transload
- Watco Greens Port Industrial Terminal — Houston, TX (4 mi): port-terminal; Air Compressor, Bulk Conveyor, Liquid Pumps, Sampling Services
- Totalchem LLC — Houston, TX (5 mi): Air Compressor, Blending Meters, Hot Water Heating, Liquid Pumps
- Texas Blending & Warehousing Corp — Houston, TX (7 mi): third-party-warehouse; Air Compressor, Liquid Pumps, Liquid Storage Tanks, Sampling Services
- Stolt-Nielsen Rail Services — Houston, TX (7 mi): Air Compressor, Blending Meters, Liquid Pumps, Liquid Storage Tanks
- Jacintoport International Terminal — Houston, TX (8 mi): port-terminal; Bulk Conveyor, Scale, breakbulk, warehousing
- Quality Transload Inc — Pasadena, TX (15 mi): Air Compressor, Liquid Pumps, Sampling Services, Scale
- Odfjell Terminals — Seabrook, TX (16 mi): third-party-warehouse; Liquid Pumps, Liquid Storage Tanks, Sampling Services, Scale
Distances are straight-line from the port's Census coordinates. Capabilities are as listed by the operator; confirm before routing.
Typical inland lanes from this port
How the top import groups typically move inland from Houston. These describe the flow, not a price: run the indicative rail rate from Houston for a first number.
- Imported crude, refined products and petroleum coke move in tank cars and hoppers to refineries, blending terminals, cement kilns and power plants inland. Indicative rail rate from Houston.
- Imported line pipe, tubular goods and fabricated steel moves to pipe yards, fabricators and energy basins in Texas, Oklahoma, the Rockies and the Appalachian shale region. Indicative rail rate from Houston.
- Imported alcohols, solvents and chemical intermediates move in tank cars to chemical, pharmaceutical and coatings plants along the Gulf Coast, the Ohio Valley and the Northeast. Indicative rail rate from Houston.
- Imported resin and polymer moves in covered hoppers and boxcars to compounders and converters across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Indicative rail rate from Houston.
- Imported meat moves in refrigerated boxcars to processors and cold-storage distribution centers inland. Indicative rail rate from Houston.
- Imported steel slab, coil and plate moves inland to mills, pipe makers and service centers in the Ohio Valley, Texas, the Southeast and the Upper Midwest. Indicative rail rate from Houston.
Priced lanes from Houston
Indicative single-car estimates from our rate model for lanes we have already priced out of this port. Not a quote; the serving railroad confirms the rate.
| Destination | Commodity | Rail miles | Indicative rate / car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | Chemicals | 1,244 | $10,484 |
| Chicago, IL | Plastic pellets | 1,244 | $10,115 |
| Chicago, IL | Steel | 1,244 | $9,431 |
Common questions
Which railroads serve the Port of Houston?
Union Pacific, BNSF Railway and CPKC reach the Houston, TX port district. Houston Ship Channel; PTRA switching.
What does the Port of Houston import the most?
By vessel value, year to date through July 2026, the largest imports at Houston among the chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks are mineral fuels (about $5,875 million), steel articles and pipe (about $3,537 million), organic chemicals (about $1,876 million). Total tracked vessel imports were about $20,701 million. Source: U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API.
Can I move imported mineral fuels from Houston inland by rail?
The largest tracked vessel import group at Houston is mineral fuels (about $5,875 million year to date through July 2026), and the port district is reached by Union Pacific, BNSF Railway and CPKC. The Steel Wheel transload directory lists at least 8 rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port. Use the indicative rail rate tool for a first estimate and a lane audit to confirm routing; estimates are indicative until confirmed with the serving railroad.
Moving imports inland from Houston?
Steel Wheel Logistics is an outsourced rail department: we route, price and manage rail moves from the port to your plant. Rate estimates are indicative only until confirmed with the serving railroad.
See the port on the commodity flow map · Port of Houston (National Leader) rail hub profile · All ports
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, general imports by port of entry, vessel value, year to date through July 2026. Steel Wheel Logistics analysis.