ALTERNATIVE DATA

Granular, Low Latency Insights on Everything Moving by Rail

Instantly access unique intelligence on the rail supply chain to power your next data-driven decision.

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Granular Detail That Provides Real Insight

Rail freight data is often aggregated into broad categories and published infrequently, giving you only a blurry big picture.

With visibility into specific regions, industries, commodities, and companies, you can uncover subtle supply-and-demand shifts long before they surface in public reports.

  • Unmatched granularity with insights down to the carload
  • Identify company-specific changes as they happen
  • Correlate commodity flows by region for early signals of macroeconomic or industry shifts

Data in Minutes, Not Months

Traditional sources of data on what moves by rail can be weeks or months old.

RailState delivers near-instant insight into unfolding supply chain changes. By the time others are poring over last month’s reports, you’re already trading on up-to-the-minute intelligence.

  • Data within 25 minutes of any train movement
  • Access a continuous feed of rail volumes and events for immediate market analysis
  • Get real-time alerts on volume changes or bottlenecks for rapid strategy adjustments

Cross-Border Insights Across North America

Despite its importance, low latency data on cross-border trade has mostly been unavailable.

Now with full cross-border coverage, you can see opportunities and risks well before they show up in official trade reports.

  • Track freight flows across both U.S.–Canada and U.S.–Mexico borders 
  • Clear insights into performance of each railroad
  • Detect surges or slowdowns before they appear in official trade statistics

Our Coverage Area

We have completed coverage across Canada, the US-Canada border, the US-Mexico border, and we are quickly expanding  across the United States.

  • Blue: Up to 4 years of data history
  • Green: Coming online within the next 90 days

Latest Insights

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Aerial view of container port

Container Crunch Canada: Tackling Increased Dwell, March 2025

Through March 25, RailState data showed increased train volume and larger trains across CN’s network to address the influx of containers. CPKC, on the other hand, has made fewer changes in train volumes or train size.
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Chart of Trains from the US and Canada since February 1

Cross-Border Rail Volumes – March 5, 2025

The volume of railcars moving across the border from Canada has grown even more than train volumes. This is true across most commodity types, with the most recent 7-day average volumes up 17-31% above their 30-day average. 
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Chart of Trains from the US and Canada since February 1

Cross-Border Rail Volumes – March 4, 2025

RailState, the industry's only provider of rail network intelligence independently monitors cross-border train movements in real-time. With tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico going into effect today, we're monitoring the impacts to the rail supply chain as they happen.
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Chart of Trains from the US and Canada since February 1

Cross-Border Rail Volumes – March 3, 2025

March 3 Update - Cross-border rail volumes across the US-CAN border fell over the weekend. Autorack volume from the US into Mexico remained high through the weekend.
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Chart of Trains from the US and Canada since February 1

Cross-Border Rail Volumes – March 2, 2025

March 2 Update - Train volumes from Canada fall. Autorack volume from the US into Mexico spike.
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Chart of Trains from the US and Canada since February 1

Cross-Border Rail Volumes – March 1, 2025

Train volumes from Canada have grown 14% over the 30-day average, and autorack volumes are up 48%.
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