Two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase for the week ending Sept. 20, 2025, compared with the same week in 2024, according to the AAR. They were grain, up 2,170 carloads, to 23,147; and metallic ores and metals, up 380 carloads, to 20,358. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included coal, down 3,112 carloads, to 60,029; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,644 carloads, to 8,634; and nonmetallic minerals, down 736 carloads, to 31,402.
For the first 38 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,423,372 carloads, up 2.2% from the same point last year; and 10,289,962 intermodal units, up 3.6% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 38 weeks of 2025 was 18,713,334 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.0% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Sept. 20, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,479 carloads, down 2.6% compared with the same week last year, and 366,778 intermodal units, down 1.2% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 697,257 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.8%. North American rail volume for the first 38 weeks of 2025 was 25,749,161 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4% compared with 2024.
For the week ending Sept. 20, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 89,916 carloads, down 2.8%, and 72,704 intermodal units, up 4.2% from the same week last year. For the first 38 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,140,957 carloads, containers, and trailers, rising 2.1%.
Mexican railroads reported 11,954 carloads for the week ending Sept. 20, 2025, down 13.1% from the same week last year, and 12,006 intermodal units, down 0.2%. Their cumulative volume for the first 38 weeks of this year came in at 894,870 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a fall-off of 7.5% from the same point last year.
