For the first seven weeks of 2025, cumulative rail traffic volume for Canadian railroads came in at 1,091,660 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.0% from the prior-year period, and for Mexican railroads, 154,524 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 8.5% from 2024, the AAR reported Feb. 19.
North American rail volume on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads for the first seven weeks of this year totaled 4,584,752 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.6% from 2024.
U.S. Class I railroads hauled 480,740 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Feb. 15, 2025, rising 1.5% from the same week last year. This comprised 209,216 carloads, down 4.8% from 2024, and 271,524 containers and trailers, up 7.0% from 2024.
For the week ending Feb. 15, 2025, one of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week last year. It was petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,501 carloads, to 10,948. Commodity groups that posted declines for the seventh week of 2025 included coal, down 4,472 carloads, to 54,447; metallic ores and metals, down 2,130 carloads, to 17,270; and chemicals, down 1,655 carloads, to 32,246.
North American rail volume for the week ending Feb. 15, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads came in at 311,694 carloads, a fall-off of 5.9% from the same week last year, and 349,663 intermodal units, an increase of 3.5% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 661,357 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.2% dip.
For the week ending Feb. 15, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 87,034 carloads, a 6.3% decrease, and 65,628 intermodal units, a 7.1% decrease from the year-ago period.
Mexican railroads reported 15,444 carloads for the week ending Feb. 15, 2025, dropping 17.3% compared with the same week last year, and 12,511 intermodal units, falling 7.1%.
