Rail freight outlook waits for improved indicators

In January 2026, coal carloads were up more than 10,500 carloads, or 4.7%, over January 2025. This is the biggest monthly percentage gain since May 2025; year-over-year volumes have risen in 8 of the last 11 months. Long‑term U.S. coal use has been trending down, but several short‑term economic, weather, and policy factors have pushed coal consumption and production upward in 2025 and into early 2026.The AAR Freight Rail Index (FRI), which tracks seasonally adjusted intermodal shipments and carloads excludi ...