Total U.S. weekly rail traffic for Week 39 (ending Sept. 27, 2025) came in at 512,642 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.0% from the prior-year period, according to the AAR. Total carloads were 228,903, up 0.9%, while intermodal volume was 283,739 containers and trailers, up 1.1% from last year.
In comparison, for the week ending Sept. 20, 2025, total U.S. rail traffic was 510,677 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.2% from the prior-year period. Total carloads for the week were 228,609, dipping 1.8%, and intermodal volume was 282,068 containers and trailers, dipping 2.5% from last year.
For the week ending Sept. 27, 2025, five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 2,249 carloads, to 32,825; grain, up 1,710 carloads, to 22,609; and motor vehicles and parts, up 499 carloads, to 17,205. Commodity groups that posted declines included coal, down 1,330 carloads, to 59,499; petroleum and petroleum products, down 439 carloads, to 10,343; and metallic ores and metals, down 355 carloads, to 20,853.
For the first 39 weeks of this year, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,652,275 carloads, up 2.1% from the same point in 2024; and 10,573,701 intermodal units, up 3.5% from 2024. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 39 weeks of this year was 19,225,976 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.9% from 2024.
North American rail volume for the week ending Sept. 27, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 336,303 carloads, down 0.6% from the same week last year, and 371,988 intermodal units, up 2.2% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 708,291 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.8%. North American rail volume for the first 39 weeks of this year was 26,457,452 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3% from the prior-year period.
For the week ending Sept. 27, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 93,860 carloads, a drop-off of 3.2%, and 72,540 intermodal units, a gain of 3.2% compared with the same week last year. For the first 39 weeks this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,307,357 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.1%.
Mexican railroads reported 13,540 carloads for the week ending Sept. 27, 2025, falling 7.6% from the same week last year, and 15,709 intermodal units, increasing 21.2%. Their cumulative volume for the first 39 weeks of this year was 924,119 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 7.1% from the same point in 2024.
