U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 26, 2025 (Week 30) came in at 514,279 carloads and intermodal units, rising 1.1% from the same week last year, based on 231,029 carloads—up 0.9% from 2024—and intermodal volume of 283,250 containers and trailers—up 1.3% from 2024, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported July 30.
Results were similar for the week ending July 19, 2025: U.S. Class I railroads carried 506,882 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6% from the same point last year. That comprised 229,739 carloads, up 7.3% from 2024, and 277,143 containers and trailers, up 4.3% from 2024.
For the week ending July 26, 2025, seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase, compared with the same week last year. They included grain, up 1,289 carloads, to 22,108; coal, up 986 carloads, to 62,386; and motor vehicles and parts, up 459 carloads, to 15,306. Commodity groups that posted declines were farm products excluding grain, and food, down 839 carloads, to 15,971; nonmetallic minerals, down 816 carloads, to 32,422; and metallic ores and metals, down 64 carloads, to 21,386.
For the first 30 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,594,604 carloads, a 2.7% increase from the prior-year period; and 8,054,478 intermodal units, a 4.8% increase from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 30 weeks of 2025 was 14,649,082 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.8% from last year.
For the week ending July 26, 2025, North American rail volume on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 332,465 carloads, a 2.0% gain over the same week last year, and 367,038 intermodal units, a 3.5% gain over last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 699,503 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.8%. North American rail volume for the first 30 weeks of this year was 20,242,757 carloads and intermodal units, rising 2.9% from 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 86,414 carloads for the week ending July 26, 2025, up 2.2%, and 73,206 intermodal units, up 14.1% from the same point last year. For the first 30 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,874,958 carloads, containers and trailers, a 1.5% increase.
Mexican railroads reported 15,022 carloads for the week ending July 26, 2025, rising 21.5% from the year-ago period, and 10,582 intermodal units, dipping 2.2%. Their cumulative volume for the first 30 weeks of 2025 came in at 718,717 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a 5.7% drop-off from the same point last year.
