Those results are similar to Week 12’s (ending March 22), when U.S. Class I railroads hauled 496,214 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.5% compared with last year. That comprised 224,904 carloads, up 4.5% from 2024, and 271,310 containers and trailers, up 6.3% from last year.
According to the AAR, for Week 13 (ending March 29, 2025) seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included coal, up 11,426 carloads, to 63,028; grain, up 2,189 carloads, to 23,167; and motor vehicles and parts, up 1,479 carloads, to 17,745. Commodity groups that posted declines were metallic ores and metals, down 504 carloads, to 20,620; forest products, down 342 carloads, to 8,375; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 232 carloads, to 10,111.
For the first 13 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,775,535 carloads, up 0.1% from the same point last year; and 3,540,729 intermodal units, up 8.3% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 13 weeks of this year came in at 6,316,264 carloads and intermodal units, rising 4.5% over 2024.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 29, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 349,262 carloads, a 5.3% increase over last year, and 367,820 intermodal units, an 8.8% gain over last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 717,082 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.1%. North American rail volume for the first 13 weeks of this year was 8,679,986 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.0% from 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 96,435 carloads for the week ending March 29, 2025, up 4.0%, and 77,833 intermodal units, up 9.7% from the same point last year. For the first 13 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,056,954 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.3%.
For the week ending March 29, 2025, Mexican railroads reported 16,962 carloads, a 15.7% drop-off from the same week last year, and 12,299 intermodal units, a 7.3% dip. Their cumulative volume for the first 13 weeks of 2025 was 306,768 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, falling 8.8% from the same point last year.
