Total U.S. carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, dipped 2.3% from the same point last year, marking the ninth consecutive week of fall offs, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) latest report, released Dec. 10.
For the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 508,999 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 228,823 carloads, up 1.7% compared with the same week in 2024, and 280,176 containers and trailers, down 5.4% compared with 2024, AAR reported.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included coal, up 3,147 carloads, to 61,026; grain, up 1,952 carloads, to 25,098; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,161 carloads, to 29,330. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included chemicals, down 1,054 carloads, to 32,548; metallic ores and metals, down 601 carloads, to 19,706; and miscellaneous carloads, down 387 carloads, to 8,897.
For the first 49 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,889,132 carloads, rising 1.8% from the prior-year period; and 13,277,231 intermodal units, increasing 1.8% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 49 weeks of this year was 24,166,363 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.8% gain over 2024.
North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 335,803 carloads, up 1.9% compared with the same week last year, and 362,093 intermodal units, down 4.0% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 697,896 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.2%. North American rail volume for the first 49 weeks of this year came in at 33,276,063 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.7% increase from 2024.
For the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 94,333 carloads, rising 2.5%, and 67,986 intermodal units, down 1.8% from the prior-year period. For the first 49 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,943,671 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.3%.
Mexican railroads reported 12,647 carloads for the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, up 2.3% from the same week last year, and 13,931 intermodal units, an increase of 18.4%. Their cumulative volume for the first 49 weeks of this year was 1,166,029 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.0% from the same point in 2024.
