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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 · Oct 1, 2026 |
Sub: Class I & Regulatory |
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| Brought to you by |
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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 → |
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| Bulletin Orders |
FWRX · No. 10·01 |
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From the desk of Stuart Chirls · Railroads · FreightWaves & Trains.com
Investment in data centers continues to soar … one of the few positive signs in an otherwise struggling economy, data center construction has been a boon to both trucking and rail, where imported component technology is helping drive steady intermodal gains of 4.1% ytd … revised data shows real investment up 29.9% y/y, compared to 18% of previous data … but questions about the ROI as well as rising public opposition has also led to questions about whether AI and data centers are just the latest spending bubble about to pop … some see a sharp slowdown ahead with the Federal Reserve interest rate nearing 4% and hyperscale bonds close to 11% …
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| Featured · Class I · Regulatory |
◆ Class I · Regulatory · Agriculture
FreightWaves Rail · Sept 28, 2026
The National Farmers Union, representing more than 220,000 family farmers and ranchers, urged the STB to reject the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, arguing decades of rail consolidation have already left farmers with fewer options, higher rates and less reliable service, and calling for stronger antitrust enforcement and expanded reciprocal switching.
| Caution |
Agricultural shippers are now a vocal opposition bloc alongside rival railroads and state attorneys general — another constituency the STB will have to weigh as the review moves toward its Nov. 18 comment deadline. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
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◆ Intermodal · Volumes
FreightWaves Rail · Sept 24, 2026
AAR’s weekly rail traffic report showed U.S. carloads and intermodal units up 4.9% year over year for the week ending Sept. 19, with intermodal volume climbing 6.9% to 301,456 containers and trailers and metallic ores/metals leading carload gains at 15.1%.
| Signal |
A seventh straight week of intermodal strength keeps 2026 volumes running 3.4% ahead of last year through 37 weeks, reinforcing that fall demand is holding up rather than fading. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Class I · Locomotives
Union Pacific deployed two Wabtec FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives for switching and local-customer service in the Los Angeles area, with two more arriving in October for a four-unit test fleet, as the railroad explores lower-emission power in one of the country’s most emissions-sensitive rail corridors.
| Signal |
Real-world testing in a demanding yard environment is a meaningful step toward commercial viability, even as rivals note the grid-capacity hurdles still standing in the way of wider adoption. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Technology · Intermodal
Parallel Systems advanced to its fourth testing phase of autonomous, battery-electric railcars on Genesee & Wyoming short lines in Georgia, expanding to a 30-mile corridor with 43 public grade crossings as it works toward commercial service for short-haul container freight.
| Signal |
A widening test corridor and a 300-plus vehicle backlog suggest autonomous railcars are moving past demonstration status toward real commercial deployment on short lines. |
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Read the full bulletin → |
◆ Regulatory · Personnel
The STB named 17-year BNSF veteran Marty Schlenker as director of its Office of Economics and former Bunge and Ferromex executive Terrence McDermott as senior adviser to Chairman Patrick Fuchs, converting both from temporary transition roles as the agency works through the UP-NS merger review.
| Signal |
Permanent hires with deep railroad-industry and rail-economics backgrounds add bench strength to the STB just as it heads into the most consequential merger review in decades. |
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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
235,787
▲ +0.67% w/w
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6-Mo. Average
225,724
▲ +4.5% above avg
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vs. 2025
188,673
▲ +25.0% above 2025
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vs. 2024
183,990
▲ +28.1% above 2024
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● SONAR · Total U.S. Carloads, 12-Month Trend — RTOTC.USA
Weekly total carloads edged up to 235,787 this week, up 1,580 cars (+0.67%) — a new 12-month high — and running about 4.5% above the six-month average of 225,724.
● 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 |
Carloads notched another 12-month high this week, extending a run of above-average readings well into fall — a strong clear-track signal even as the historical lines suggest a seasonal falloff typically arrives by Q4. |
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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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