SHREVEPORT, La. — Rail shipments through the Port of Caddo-Bossier surged more than 84% from the first to third quarter of 2026, helping push combined rail and barge freight above 452,000 tons during the latest quarter.
The Port reported 265,961.89 tons shipped by rail during the third quarter, along with 186,146.49 tons moved by barge.
Combined, the two transportation modes accounted for 452,108.38 tons of freight during the quarter.
The latest figures show significant growth compared with the beginning of the year, driven primarily by increased rail activity.
During the first quarter, the Port reported 144,331.67 tons shipped by rail and 194,062.67 tons by barge, for a combined 338,394.34 tons.
Rail tonnage increased approximately 84.3% between the first and third quarters, while barge tonnage declined about 4.1%. Overall combined rail and barge volume increased approximately 33.6%.
The figures provide another indicator of freight activity at the Port as Northwest Louisiana experiences increased industrial, construction and economic development activity.
The third-quarter numbers also follow strong steel-coil activity reported earlier this year.
Through August, the Port had handled 252,647 tons of steel coil by barge, already 69% more than the total handled during all of 2025.
The Port of Caddo-Bossier serves as a multimodal transportation and industrial hub with access to barge, rail, highway and air transportation. Its industrial complex along the Red River is home to manufacturing, distribution and other industrial operations.
The Port highlighted its third-quarter freight totals in a recent update, crediting its operations team and transportation partners for maintaining the activity.
The latest figures represent a quarter-to-quarter comparison and should not be interpreted as year-over-year growth. Third-quarter 2025 freight totals were not included in the Port’s latest update.