The Association of American Railroads in reporting freight rail traffic for the week ending Sept. 6, 2025 (Week 36) noted that total U.S. rail traffic was 467,880 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.4% from the prior-year period. Total carloads for the week came in at 214,383, dipping 3.5% from the same week in 2024, and intermodal volume was 253,497 containers and trailers, dipping 1.4% from last year. The last time U.S. weekly rail traffic dropped was Week 33, ending Aug. 16, 2025.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase for the week ending Sept. 6, 2025, compared with the same week in 2024, according to the AAR. They were miscellaneous carloads, up 1,132 carloads, to 8,512; motor vehicles and parts, up 973 carloads, to 14,633; and forest products, up 286 carloads, to 7,801. Commodity groups that posted declines included chemicals, down 2,875 carloads, to 29,802; coal, down 2,824 carloads, to 60,927; and grain, down 1,570 carloads, to 18,067.
For the first 36 weeks of this year, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,963,526 carloads, a 2.4% increase from the same point in 2024; and 9,724,964 intermodal units, a 4.0% increase from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of this year was 17,688,490 carloads and intermodal units, gaining 3.3% over 2024.
North American rail volume for the week ending Sept. 6, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 312,974 carloads, down 2.0% from the same week last year, and 333,374 intermodal units, up 0.6% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 646,348 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.7%. North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of this year came in at 24,348,314 carloads and intermodal units, rising 2.6% from 2024.
For the week ending Sept. 6, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 85,891 carloads, down 1.4%, and 66,397 intermodal units, up 0.8% from the same week last year. For the first 36 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,814,174 carloads, containers, and trailers, rising 2.2%.
Mexican railroads reported 12,700 carloads for the week ending Sept. 6, 2025, up 26.9% from the same week last year, and 13,480 intermodal units, up 59.0%. Their cumulative volume for the first 36 weeks of this year came in at 845,650 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a fall-off of 7.5% from the same point last year.
