New Federal Report Audits National Supply Chain and Infrastructure
Washington, Thursday, 1 January 2026.
This comprehensive audit benchmarks national transportation performance, providing the essential data needed to guide economic analysis and strategic infrastructure investments for the year ahead.
The Shift from Maritime to Inland Constraints
The release of the TSAR comes at a pivotal moment for the U.S. economy, as the primary friction points in the national supply chain have migrated from the ocean to the interior. While maritime operations appeared relatively calm throughout 2025, importers have increasingly reported that containers arriving at ports simply stop moving once they hit the docks [1]. The data indicates that port drayage has evolved into a primary source of delay and cost, driven largely by constraints in driver availability, chassis access, and tightening gate systems [1]. For logistics service providers and investors, this bottleneck represents a critical inefficiency; booking windows at key U.S. ports have stretched, and inland rail congestion has appeared in sporadic pulses throughout the year [1].
Rail Network Volatility and Safety Audits
The rail sector, a backbone of industrial transport, enters 2026 under intense scrutiny regarding safety and reliability. Just two days ago, on December 30, 2025, a CSX train derailed in Trenton, Kentucky, sending 30 cars off the track and causing a molten sulfur car to catch fire [2]. This incident underscores the safety challenges highlighted in broader industry metrics. In terms of operational efficiency, the performance data for the penultimate week of the year was mixed; for the week ending December 20, 2025, U.S. railroads reported a 7.0% decrease in carloads and intermodal units compared to the same week in 2024 [2]. However, looking at the broader annual trend, overall traffic for the first 51 weeks of 2025 actually increased by 1.5% compared to the previous year [2], suggesting that despite year-end softness, the industrial base maintained a positive trajectory for much of 2025.
Strategic Consolidation and Infrastructure Outlook
As we begin 2026, the transportation landscape is being reshaped by massive corporate consolidation and necessary fiscal adjustments. In a move that could redefine the freight market, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted a merger application to the Surface Transportation Board on December 19, 2025, with Canadian National warning that such a combination would control over 40% of the U.S. freight market [2]. Simultaneously, public transit agencies are grappling with fiscal deficits. Effective today, January 1, 2026, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has implemented a 6.2% system-wide fare increase to address a looming $376-million deficit [2]. On a positive note for infrastructure modernization, BNSF fully implemented positive train-control technology on its Montana Rail Link subdivision on December 30, 2025, four months ahead of the federal mandate [2], signaling that investment in safety technology remains a priority despite the sector’s challenges.