AAR: Downward U.S. Rail Traffic Trend Continues in Week 50
For the week ending Dec. 13, 2025, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 518,904 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 224,620 carloads, down 1.7% compared with the same week in 2024, and 294,284 containers and trailers, down 1.2% compared with 2024, AAR reported.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They were miscellaneous carloads, up 764 carloads, to 9,514; metallic ores and metals, up 501 carloads, to 19,269; and coal, up 345 carloads, to 61,733. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included nonmetallic minerals, down 1,919 carloads, to 27,814; grain, down 1,321 carloads, to 22,944; and chemicals, down 858 carloads, to 32,013.
For the first 50 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,113,752 carloads, rising 1.8% from the prior-year period; and 13,571,515 intermodal units, increasing 1.7% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 50 weeks of this year was 24,685,267 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.7% gain over 2024.
North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 13, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 329,271 carloads, down 1.6% compared with the same week last year, and 376,529 intermodal units, down 0.7% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 705,800 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.1%. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of this year came in at 33,973,610 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.6% increase from 2024.
For the week ending Dec. 13, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 91,707 carloads, down 0.02%, and 66,869 intermodal units, down 1.4% from the prior-year period. For the first 50 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,102,247 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.2%.
Mexican railroads reported 12,944 carloads for the week ending Dec. 13, 2025, down 11.6% from the same week last year, and 15,376 intermodal units, an increase of 15.0%. Their cumulative volume for the first 50 weeks of this year was 1,186,096 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.6% from the same point in 2024.
