Total U.S. weekly rail traffic came in at 497,854 carloads and intermodal units for Week 42 (ending Oct. 18, 2025), down 2.6% from the same week in 2024, according to the AAR. Total carloads were 224,244, up 0.3%, while intermodal volume was 273,610 containers and trailers, down 4.8% from 2024.
Results were similar for Week 41 (ending Oct. 11, 2025): U.S. Class I railroads carried 498,462 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3% from the same point last year. That comprised 224,562 carloads, up 1.2% from 2024, and 273,900 containers and trailers, down 3.3% from 2024.
For the week ending Oct. 18, 2025, five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week last year. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,253 carloads, to 33,517; metallic ores and metals, up 1,461 carloads, to 20,355; and chemicals, up 970 carloads, to 32,046. Commodity groups that posted declines included grain, down 2,364 carloads, to 21,011; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,521 carloads, to 8,413; and coal, down 1,057 carloads, to 57,604.
For the first 42 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,326,053 carloads, rising 2.0% from the prior-year period; and 11,399,777 intermodal units, increasing 3.2% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 42 weeks of this year came in at 20,725,830 carloads and intermodal units, a gain of 2.7% over 2024.
In comparison, for the first 41 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,101,809 carloads, up 2.1% from the prior-year period; and 11,126,167 intermodal units, up 3.4% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 41 weeks of 2025 was 20,227,976 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.8% from last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Oct. 18, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 330,151 carloads, flat with the same week last year, and 358,632 intermodal units, down 1.9% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 688,783 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.0% drop-off. North American rail volume for the first 42 weeks of this year was 28,533,333 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2% from 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 92,310 carloads for the week ending Oct. 18, 2025, dipping 2.9%, and 70,928 intermodal units, rising 5.2% from the same week last year. For the first 42 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,802,397 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 1.9%.
For the week ending Oct. 18, 2025, Mexican railroads reported 13,597 carloads, increasing 19.2% compared with the same week last year, and 14,094 intermodal units, jumping up 33.9%. Their cumulative volume for the first 42 weeks of 2025 was 1,005,106 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a 4.4% fall-off from the same point last year.
