|
|
|
|
A roundup of the week’s most-read rail — intermodal, Class I service, ports, and the bottlenecks in between.
| ● Clear |
FreightWaves Rail · Oct 29, 2026 |
Sub: Class I & Regulatory |
|
| Brought to you by |
|
|
Rail data isn’t the problem. Acting on it is. Hear IntelliTrans SVP Matt Everson break down what bulk shippers are missing.
Get the insights → |
|
|
|
| Bulletin Orders |
FWRX · No. 10·29 |
|
|
From the desk of Stuart Chirls · Railroads · FreightWaves & Trains.com
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena has bragged about the road’s 500-unit ‘buffer’ locomotive fleet, but has gone shopping for hundreds of new Chinese-made domestic intermodal containers as demand surges … Union Pacific markets its owned boxes under the EMP and UMAX brands, operated through partnerships with eastern railroads … Intermodal has posted double-digit volume gains over the past several weeks, most of it domestic traffic as shippers seek cheaper rates amid an improving trucking market …
|
|
|
|
|
| Featured · Class I · Earnings |
◆ Class I · Earnings
FreightWaves Rail · Oct 22, 2026
Norfolk Southern reported record third-quarter revenue of $3.52 billion, up 14% with fuel surcharges supplying 8 of the 14 points, and operating income up 5% to $1.15 billion; volume rose 3% and CEO Mark George cited growing demand in domestic intermodal and chemicals, though the intermodal service composite slipped to 84% from 92% a year ago.
| Caution |
Rising volume and record revenue are coming with softer service metrics year over year, a gap shippers will watch as NS works to improve the network ahead of the Union Pacific merger review. |
|
Read the full bulletin → |
 |
◆ Ports · Intermodal
FreightWaves Rail · Oct 28, 2026
Nearly 35,700 import containers were waiting for on-dock trains at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports on Oct. 26, with 10,562 on terminals nine days or longer, as record September volumes and reported railcar shortages stretched average rail dwell to 7.19 days from 6.75 in August.
| Caution |
Record port volumes, Southern California railcar shortages and a possible Nov. 1 strike by about 250 port watchmen add up to real near-term risk for intermodal shippers moving through the complex. |
|
Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Ports · Infrastructure
FreightWaves Rail · Oct 23, 2026
The Port of Coos Bay won a $204.8 million federal CRISI award to upgrade its 111-mile rail line, the first large construction grant for the proposed Pacific Coast Intermodal Port, a more than $2 billion terminal that would compete with Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver and Prince Rupert but remains years from opening.
| Signal |
Federal funding moves a new West Coast gateway one step closer, though financing, permitting and environmental reviews still stand between the project and any container volume. |
|
Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Equipment · Earnings
FreightWaves Rail · Oct 23, 2026
Wabtec reported third-quarter revenue up 8% to $3.12 billion and EPS up 34% to $2.42, and raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $10.85–$11.05; the freight backlog grew 7.5% to $6.54 billion, though CEO Rafael Santana said stronger rail traffic has not yet turned into new locomotive orders.
| Signal |
Railroads are pulling stored locomotives back into service and ordering parts, a sign of tight capacity, but a broad rebound in new-equipment spending has yet to show up. |
|
Read the full bulletin → |
|
|
|
Reading the Rails
Powered by  · Intermodal Dashboard
The week’s total U.S. rail carload volumes, pulled straight from SONAR’s Intermodal Dashboard.
|
Total Carloads
234,826
▲ +1.17% w/w
|
|
|
12-Mo. Average
226,285
▲ +3.8% above avg
|
|
|
vs. 2025
188,673
▲ +24.5% above 2025
|
|
|
vs. 2024
183,990
▲ +27.6% above 2024
|
|
● SONAR · Total U.S. Carloads, 12-Month Trend — RTOTC.USA
Weekly total carloads rose to 234,826 this week, up 2,706 cars (+1.17%) from last week’s 232,120, and running about 3.8% above the 12-month average of 226,285.
● 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 ahead of the comparable year-end points in 2025 (188,673) and 2024 (183,990) — up roughly 25% and 28% respectively; the 2023 comparison line was again too overlapped with the others to read confidently.
| Signal |
A third straight weekly gain pushes carloads back toward the upper end of the past year’s range, reinforcing the strong-volume story running through this week’s earnings and port news. |
|
|
|
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 → |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
FreightWaves Rail is published weekly
Facebook · X · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube
You’re receiving this because you subscribed to FreightWaves newsletters.
Forward to a friend · Manage subscriptions · Unsubscribe
Firecrown Media Inc. · 405 Cherry Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402, US
© 2026 FreightWaves, Inc. · All rights reserved
|
|
.png)
_(1).png)
