ABH Consulting

The 15th Annual Rail/Intermodal Roundtable examines the current state of the U.S. rail and intermodal markets, highlighting modest carload growth, improving service levels, and the ongoing impact of tariffs, truck competition, and emerging technology. Experts also weigh in on the potential Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, forecasting that regulatory review and broader economic conditions will shape service, pricing, and growth opportunities over the next several years.

The freight rail and intermodal sectors are facing continued market fluctuations in 2025, with U.S. rail carloads showing a slight decline and intermodal volumes reaching a three-year high. While rail carloads grew by 2.5% year-over-year through May, intermodal growth slowed with only a modest 0.6% gain in May.

Three of the nation’s top market analysts examine the current state of the freight railroad and intermodal markets, including a look at service levels, pricing, competition with other modes, and the ongoing implementation of automation.

Volumes are mixed as service levels show continued improvement

In this podcast, Tony Hatch offered up his views on various aspects of the freight railroad and intermodal sectors, including: market conditions, service levels, volumes, and nearshoring, among others. 

In this podcast, Tony Hatch offered up his views on various aspects of the freight railroad and intermodal sectors, including: market conditions, service levels, volumes, and nearshoring, among others. 

Three of the nation’s top market analysts examine the current state of the freight railroad and intermodal markets, including a look at pricing, service levels, competition with other modes, and the slow—but steady—implementation of automation.

Earlier today, the Washington, D.C.-based Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers, unanimously released a railroad service-focused Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) focused on reciprocal switching.

Rail/Intermodal volumes remain uneven as service improvements continue to take hold.

Railroad and intermodal aim to get back on track.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Tony Hatch, principal of ABH Consulting.

Four of the nation’s top market analysts examine the current state of the freight railroad and intermodal markets, including the ongoing impact of the pandemic as well as visibility into pricing and service levels over the next year.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Tony Hatch, Principal of ABH Consulting.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Tony Hatch, principal of ABH Consulting.

Three leading intermodal analysts take a deep dive into how the sector has turned the corner, as service levels and volumes are now showing strong signs of recovery.