For 2025’s 37th week, North American freight rail traffic declined marginally, with carloads falling 0.5% and intermodal down 1.3%, compared to 2024, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Sept. 17. U.S. traffic declined slightly in both categories; Canadian traffic grew a little. Mexico was another story entirely, with intermodal loads growing nearly 15% and carloads plummeting almost 11%. Cumulative 2025 volume saw U.S. traffic growing 3.1%, Canadian growing 2.2%, Mexican falling 7.5%, and North American climbing 2.5%
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 514,167 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending September 13 were 231,237 carloads, down 0.5% compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 282,930 containers and trailers, down 2.6% compared to 2024.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included chemicals, up 2,446 carloads, to 34,891; motor vehicles and parts, up 765 carloads, to 17,608; and nonmetallic minerals, up 732 carloads, to 32,754. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included coal, down 2,321 carloads, to 60,817; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,947 carloads, to 8,776; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 834 carloads, to 16,382.
For the first 37 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,194,763 carloads, up 2.3% from the same point last year; and 10,007,894 intermodal units, up 3.8% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 37 weeks of 2025 was 18,202,657 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.1% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending September 13, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 336,615 carloads, down 0.5% compared with the same week last year, and 369,524 intermodal units, down 1.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 706,139 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.9%. North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2025 was 25,051,904 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5% compared with 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 92,231 carloads for the week, up 1.2%, and 71,932 intermodal units, up 1.1% compared with the same week in 2024. For the first 37 weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,978,337 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.2%.
Mexican railroads reported 13,147 carloads for the week, down 10.9% compared with the same week last year, and 14,662 intermodal units, up 14.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 37 weeks of 2025 was 870,910 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 7.5% from the same point last year.
