Shipping a single loaded railcar between two US markets costs roughly $4,900 to $14,600 per car in September 2026, with a median of $8,300 across the 30 benchmark lanes on this page (544 to 2,214 rail miles). At typical loads that works out to $44 to $195 per ton (median $91) and 4.6 to 15.8 cents per ton-mile (median 8.4). Heavy bulk on long single-railroad lanes sits at the low end; manufactured products such as paper and plastic pellets, and lanes under 700 miles, sit at the high end.
Every figure here is line haul plus fuel surcharge for one car, which is how a railroad quotes carload freight. It does not include accessorials such as switching or weighing, demurrage if a car sits past free time, transload handling, or a truck leg at either end. Rail rates are quoted per car, not per ton: loading a hopper to 100 tons instead of 85 costs the same to move and lowers the cost per ton, which is why the per-ton and per-ton-mile columns below depend on the stated load.
Indicative rail rates by lane, September 2026
Three lanes per commodity: one short (500 to 700 rail miles), one medium (900 to 1,400) and one long (1,450 to 2,250), each on real origin and destination markets for that commodity. Rate per car is line haul plus the current fuel surcharge for a single loaded car. Cost per ton and cents per ton-mile are divided out at the load shown. Routing tells you whether one railroad carries the car end to end or it is handed between carriers.
| Lane | Commodity | Car type | Rail miles | Rate per car | Cost per ton | ¢ per ton-mile | Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita, KS → Houston, TX | Grain | Covered hopper | 637 | $5,708 | $57 at 100 t | 9.0¢ | Single railroad |
| Des Moines, IA → New Orleans, LA | Grain | Covered hopper | 1,314 | $8,204 | $82 at 100 t | 6.2¢ | Single railroad |
| Fargo, ND → Portland, OR | Grain | Covered hopper | 1,540 | $8,897 | $89 at 100 t | 5.8¢ | Single railroad |
| Houston, TX → Memphis, TN | Steel | Gondola | 556 | $6,596 | $66 at 100 t | 11.9¢ | Single railroad |
| Mobile, AL → Pittsburgh, PAlane page | Steel | Gondola | 1,097 | $9,232 | $92 at 100 t | 8.4¢ | 1 interchange |
| Chicago, IL → Los Angeles, CA | Steel | Gondola | 2,187 | $13,108 | $131 at 100 t | 6.0¢ | Single railroad |
| Baton Rouge, LA → Atlanta, GA | Chemicals | Tank car | 590 | $7,642 | $80 at 95 t | 13.6¢ | 1 interchange |
| Baton Rouge, LA → Cincinnati, OH | Chemicals | Tank car | 928 | $9,658 | $102 at 95 t | 11.0¢ | 1 interchange |
| Houston, TX → Newark, NJ | Chemicals | Tank car | 1,732 | $13,220 | $139 at 95 t | 8.0¢ | 1 interchange |
| Baton Rouge, LA → Nashville, TN | Plastic pellets | Covered hopper | 710 | $8,039 | $89 at 90 t | 12.6¢ | 1 interchange |
| Houston, TX → Chicago, ILlane page | Plastic pellets | Covered hopper | 1,244 | $10,115 | $112 at 90 t | 9.0¢ | Single railroad |
| Houston, TX → Los Angeles, CA | Plastic pellets | Covered hopper | 1,623 | $11,934 | $133 at 90 t | 8.2¢ | Single railroad |
| Birmingham, AL → Chicago, IL | Lumber | Centerbeam flat | 650 | $7,087 | $94 at 75 t | 14.5¢ | 1 interchange |
| Portland, OR → Denver, CO | Lumber | Centerbeam flat | 1,356 | $10,009 | $133 at 75 t | 9.8¢ | Single railroad |
| Portland, OR → Dallas, TX | Lumber | Centerbeam flat | 2,152 | $13,166 | $176 at 75 t | 8.2¢ | Single railroad |
| Savannah, GA → Louisville, KY | Paper | Boxcar | 704 | $8,345 | $111 at 75 t | 15.8¢ | Single railroad |
| Savannah, GA → Chicago, IL | Paper | Boxcar | 995 | $9,666 | $129 at 75 t | 12.9¢ | 2 interchange |
| Portland, OR → Chicago, IL | Paper | Boxcar | 2,214 | $14,634 | $195 at 75 t | 8.8¢ | Single railroad |
| Tampa, FL → Birmingham, AL | Fertilizer | Covered hopper | 652 | $5,532 | $55 at 100 t | 8.5¢ | Single railroad |
| New Orleans, LA → Des Moines, IAlane page | Fertilizer | Covered hopper | 1,314 | $8,041 | $80 at 100 t | 6.1¢ | Single railroad |
| Tampa, FL → Minneapolis, MN | Fertilizer | Covered hopper | 1,695 | $9,343 | $93 at 100 t | 5.5¢ | 1 interchange |
| Dallas, TX → Kansas City, MO | Cement | Covered hopper | 544 | $5,376 | $54 at 100 t | 9.9¢ | Single railroad |
| Chicago, IL → Denver, CO | Cement | Covered hopper | 1,016 | $6,666 | $67 at 100 t | 6.6¢ | Single railroad |
| Salt Lake City, UT → Houston, TX | Cement | Covered hopper | 1,778 | $9,367 | $94 at 100 t | 5.3¢ | Single railroad |
| Kansas City, MO → Dallas, TX | Aggregates | Open-top hopper | 544 | $4,851 | $44 at 110 t | 8.1¢ | Single railroad |
| Chicago, IL → Dallas, TX | Aggregates | Open-top hopper | 927 | $5,725 | $52 at 110 t | 5.6¢ | Single railroad |
| Kansas City, MO → Tampa, FL | Aggregates | Open-top hopper | 1,467 | $7,445 | $68 at 110 t | 4.6¢ | 1 interchange |
| Omaha, NE → Dallas, TX | Ethanol | Tank car | 742 | $6,975 | $73 at 95 t | 9.9¢ | Single railroad |
| Des Moines, IA → Houston, TX | Ethanol | Tank car | 995 | $7,998 | $84 at 95 t | 8.5¢ | Single railroad |
| Omaha, NE → Los Angeles, CA | Ethanol | Tank car | 1,790 | $11,213 | $118 at 95 t | 6.6¢ | Single railroad |
Indicative estimates from the Steel Wheel rate model, line haul plus fuel surcharge, single-car basis, per car. Excludes accessorials, demurrage, transload and truck legs. Not a quote. Lowest cost per ton-mile on the table: Kansas City, MO to Tampa, FL (aggregates, 4.6¢). Highest: Savannah, GA to Louisville, KY (paper, 15.8¢). 67 percent of the lanes price as a single-railroad move. Data: benchmarks.json.
Rates by commodity
Median of the three benchmark lanes for each commodity. The spread between commodities at the same distance is the commodity factor in a rail rate: railroads price by the commodity code on the waybill, and a car of paper or plastic pellets carries a higher rate than a car of crushed stone over the same track.
| Commodity | Median rate per car | Range per car | Median cost per ton | Median ¢ per ton-mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain | $8,204 | $5,708 to $8,897 | $82 | 6.2¢ |
| Steel | $9,232 | $6,596 to $13,108 | $92 | 8.4¢ |
| Chemicals | $9,658 | $7,642 to $13,220 | $102 | 11.0¢ |
| Plastic pellets | $10,115 | $8,039 to $11,934 | $112 | 9.0¢ |
| Lumber | $10,009 | $7,087 to $13,166 | $133 | 9.8¢ |
| Paper | $9,666 | $8,345 to $14,634 | $129 | 12.9¢ |
| Fertilizer | $8,041 | $5,532 to $9,343 | $80 | 6.1¢ |
| Cement | $6,666 | $5,376 to $9,367 | $67 | 6.6¢ |
| Aggregates | $5,725 | $4,851 to $7,445 | $52 | 5.6¢ |
| Ethanol | $7,998 | $6,975 to $11,213 | $84 | 8.5¢ |
Median of 3 lanes per commodity, September 2026. Per-ton figures use the load shown in the lane table for that commodity.
What moves a rail rate
Distance
Distance sets the base, but not in a straight line. The first few hundred miles carry the fixed cost of switching the car out of the origin yard, building it into a train and breaking it down at destination, so short lanes cost the most per mile. On the table above, the shortest lane (Dallas, TX to Kansas City, MO, 544 miles) prices at 9.9 cents per ton-mile while the longest (Portland, OR to Chicago, IL, 2,214 miles) prices at 8.8. Rail miles also run longer than highway miles, sometimes by a wide margin, because the car follows the railroad's network rather than the interstate.
Commodity and car type
Railroads price by Standard Transportation Commodity Code. Low-value bulk that could move by barge or truck (aggregates, cement, grain) is priced close to cost; higher-value manufactured freight (paper, plastic pellets, liquid chemicals) is priced well above it. The car type follows the commodity: covered hoppers for grain, fertilizer, cement and pellets; open-top hoppers for stone; gondolas for steel; boxcars for paper; centerbeam flats for lumber; tank cars for ethanol and chemicals. The car itself is not what you pay for, but it decides how many tons you can load, and therefore the cost per ton.
Single-line vs interline routing
A lane one railroad can carry end to end (single-line) usually prices below a lane that hands the car between two carriers (interline), even when the interline route is shorter. Each interchange adds a switch, a yard dwell and a second railroad's share of the revenue. 67 percent of the benchmark lanes route on a single railroad; the rest show the interchange count in the routing column. Where an origin sits on two railroads, the choice of carrier is one of the few pricing levers a shipper controls before asking for a rate.
Fuel surcharge
The fuel surcharge is a separately stated charge that moves with diesel prices. Each Class I railroad publishes its own program and resets it monthly against a diesel index, either as cents per car-mile or as a percentage of the line-haul rate. Across the lanes above it averages about 8 percent of the all-in rate, and it changes every month, which is why this page is re-priced monthly. The current factors by carrier are on the rail fuel surcharge tracker.
Volume, and contract vs tariff
The figures on this page are single-car, tariff-basis estimates: the price a shipper with no volume commitment would expect. Railroads price steady volume differently. A shipper who can commit cars per month on a lane can ask for a contract rate, and unit-train volumes of grain, ethanol or sand price lower still because the railroad runs a dedicated train with no yard classification. What a carrier will actually offer depends on the lane, the carrier's appetite for the traffic and the commitments you are willing to make; the benchmark is the starting point for that conversation, not the end of it.
Accessorials
Line haul plus fuel surcharge is the freight bill, not the whole cost. Switching at an origin or destination served by a different railroad, weighing, diversion, storage, and demurrage when a car is held past free time all show up as separate line items, and transload handling plus a truck leg apply whenever one end of the move is not rail-served. On a well-run lane these add a few percent; on a badly run one demurrage alone can erase the saving over truck. The rail pricing guide walks the full stack, and the demurrage calculator puts a number on the exposure.
Price your own lane
Run your origin, destination, commodity and car type through the rate tool for an indicative number in seconds. When you want the carrier's price, book a 30-minute rail setup call or call (601) 821-2199 and we source it from the railroad.
Get an indicative rail rate Book a 30-Minute Rail Setup Call Call (601) 821-2199Rail freight rates: frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to ship by rail?
Across the 30 benchmark lanes on this page (544 to 2,214 rail miles), an indicative single-car rate runs from about $4,900 to $14,600 per car, with a median of $8,300. That is line haul plus fuel surcharge for one loaded railcar, September 2026. Accessorials, demurrage, transload and any truck leg are extra. Distance, commodity and whether one railroad or two handle the car move the number most.
How much does rail freight cost per ton-mile?
On the benchmark table the all-in figure (line haul plus fuel surcharge, at a typical load) works out to 4.6 to 15.8 cents per ton-mile, median 8.4 cents. Bulk commodities on long single-line lanes sit at the low end; manufactured products such as paper and plastic pellets, and shorter lanes, sit at the high end. Cents per ton-mile is a derived comparison figure; it is not how a railroad quotes.
How are rail freight rates quoted?
Per car. A railroad prices the movement of one loaded railcar between two stations for a specific commodity (by STCC code), as a line-haul rate plus a separately stated fuel surcharge. Weight is not the price basis within the car's load limit, so a hopper loaded to 100 tons costs the same to move as one loaded to 85 tons and delivers a lower cost per ton. Every figure on this page is per car; per-ton and per-ton-mile are divided out at the stated load.
What is a rail fuel surcharge?
A separately stated charge that moves with diesel prices. Each Class I railroad publishes its own program and resets it monthly against a diesel index, either as cents per car-mile or as a percentage of the line-haul rate. Across the benchmark lanes the fuel surcharge is about 8 percent of the all-in rate. The current factors for each carrier are on the rail fuel surcharge tracker.
Is rail cheaper than truck?
Usually on heavy freight over longer distances, and usually not on short hauls or when both ends need a truck leg to reach the railroad. A single railcar carries three to four truckloads, which is why per-ton costs fall as distance grows. The break-even depends on the lane, the commodity and the handling on each end; the rail vs truck cost comparison works through it, and the rail vs truck calculator runs it for your lane.
How do I get a rail freight quote?
For a fast indicative number, run your origin, destination, commodity and car type through the rail rate quote tool. For a carrier price, book a 30-minute rail setup call or call (601) 821-2199; Steel Wheel routes the lane, reaches the right pricing desk at the railroad and brings back the carrier's number with the accessorials priced in. Railroad pricing takes days, not seconds, so start before you need the rate.
Indicative estimates from the Steel Wheel rate model, line haul plus fuel surcharge, single-car basis, September 2026. Not a quote. Refreshed monthly after the carriers publish their fuel surcharge factors; generated 2026-09-28. Related: how rail freight pricing works, rail vs truck cost comparison, rail freight by city, rail freight by commodity, rail logistics services.