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A roundup of the week’s most-read rail — intermodal, Class I service, ports, and the bottlenecks in between.
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FreightWaves Rail · Sept 10, 2026 |
Sub: Class I & Regulatory |
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| Bulletin Orders |
FWRX · No. 09·10 |
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From the desk of Stuart Chirls · Railroads · FreightWaves & Trains.com
Container Trade Statistics, which gets its data from ocean carriers, reported all-time global monthly volume of more than 17 million container units in July … the record mark comes amid an array of operational challenges but points up the persistent strength of world trade … the follow-on effect on the U.S. rail network continues to be felt in congestion at intermodal ramps, and among Class I’s, where highly optimized operations are sensitive to even a mild surge of import traffic …
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| Featured · Class I · Regulatory |
◆ Class I · Regulatory · Labor
FreightWaves Rail · Sept 4, 2026
More than 100 House Democrats, led by Rep. Valerie Hoyle and coordinated with the Teamsters Rail Conference, urged the STB to prioritize labor protections in its review of the proposed $85 billion Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, days after the board set a Nov. 18 deadline for comments.
| Caution |
Labor demands add another organized front — alongside state attorneys general and shipper opposition — that the STB will have to weigh as the merger review timeline stretches toward the midterms. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
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◆ Intermodal · Volumes
FreightWaves Rail · Sept 3, 2026
AAR’s weekly rail traffic report showed U.S. carloads and intermodal units up 4.1% year over year for the week ending Aug. 29, with metallic ores/metals for steelmaking up 11% and petroleum products up 8.4%, even as chemicals fell 3.8% and motor vehicles dropped 6%.
| Signal |
Broad-based gains led by steel and energy-linked commodities keep total volumes running 3.3% ahead of last year through 34 weeks, a healthy signal heading into fall. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Infrastructure · Policy
The U.S. DOT’s new "America’s Great Corridors of Commerce" program would let states and railroads lease highway and rail rights-of-way to private developers for transmission lines, fiber and pipelines, funding infrastructure repairs at no direct cost to taxpayers; public comment runs through Sept. 12.
| Signal |
A voluntary framework that could open a new, low-cost revenue stream for railroads’ existing rights-of-way — worth watching as DOT picks its first five priority corridors. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Manufacturing · Leadership
Greenbrier named 30-year company veteran Brian Comstock to succeed retiring CEO Lorie Tekorius effective Jan. 6, 2027, capping a board-led succession plan set to take effect after the 2027 annual shareholder meeting.
| Signal |
An internally groomed successor with deep Greenbrier and railroad-industry tenure points to continuity at the top of one of rail’s largest equipment suppliers. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
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Reading the Rails
Powered by  · Intermodal Dashboard
The week’s total U.S. rail carload volumes, pulled straight from SONAR’s Intermodal Dashboard.
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Total Carloads
234,397
▼ -2.34% w/w
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6-Mo. Average
225,632
▲ +3.9% above avg
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vs. 2025
188,673
▲ +24.2% above 2025
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vs. 2024
183,990
▲ +27.4% above 2024
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● SONAR · Total U.S. Carloads, 12-Month Trend — RTOTC.USA
Weekly total carloads pulled back to 234,397 this week, down 5,624 cars (-2.34%) after last week’s push to a 12-month high, but still running roughly 3.9% above the six-month average of 225,632 — a pause rather than a reversal.
● SONAR · Total U.S. Carloads, Year-over-Year Comparison — RTOTC.USA (2023–2026)
Layered against the past three years, 2026’s carload volumes remain well clear of the comparable year-end points in 2025 (188,673) and 2024 (183,990) — running about 24% and 27% ahead respectively — though the 2023 comparison line was too overlapped with the others to read confidently this week.
| Signal |
Carloads eased off last week’s 12-month high but held comfortably above the six-month average and well ahead of the past two years — a healthy pace after a strong summer, worth watching for the usual seasonal slowdown as fall approaches. |
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Powered by · Intermodal Dashboard
See the whole rail picture in SONAR
Every figure above is live in SONAR’s Intermodal Dashboard — carloads, container volumes and year-over-year moves, refreshed daily across every mode.
Explore the Intermodal Dashboard → |
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October 27 – 28, 2026 · The Signal, Chattanooga
F3: Future of Freight Festival
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
Register Now → |
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