Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 15, 2025, came in at 493,880 carloads and intermodal units, dipping 4.5% from the prior-year period, according to the AAR. Total carloads were 223,101, down 0.2%, while intermodal volume was 270,779 containers and trailers, down 7.7% from last year. This is the sixth consecutive week that U.S. rail traffic has fallen in comparison to the same weeks in 2024.
For the week ending Nov. 15, 2025, four of the 10 carload commodity groups logged an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,013 carloads, to 32,472; grain, up 1,998 carloads, to 25,612; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,197 carloads, to 9,041. Commodity groups that posted declines included motor vehicles and parts, down 2,196 carloads, to 13,509; coal, down 1,453 carloads, to 56,247; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,317 carloads, to 10,309.
For the first 46 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,227,762 carloads, a 1.8% increase from the same point last year; and 12,482,057 intermodal units, a 2.2% gain over last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 46 weeks of this year came in at 22,709,819 carloads and intermodal units, rising 2.0% from 2024. Results were similar through the first 45 weeks of 2025 (ending Nov. 8, 2025).
North American rail volume for the week ending Nov. 15, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 328,748 carloads, down 0.9% from the same week last year, and 354,081 intermodal units, up 2.1% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 682,829 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6%. North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of this year was 31,247,058 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.8% increase from 2024.
For the week ending Nov. 15, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 92,178 carloads, a 3.0% drop-off, and 67,613 intermodal units, a 65.6% gain over the same week last. year. For the first 46 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,452,843 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.3%.
Mexican railroads for the week ending Nov. 15, 2025, reported 13,469 carloads, rising 4.0% from the same week last year, and 15,689 intermodal units, increasing 22.3%. Their cumulative volume for the first 46 weeks this year was 1,084,396 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a fall-off of 5.8% from the same week in 2024.
