U.S. freight-rail traffic slides 1.4% in Week 50

U.S. freight railroads hauled 518,904 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Dec. 13, a 1.4% decrease in volume compared with the same week in 2024, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads for the week totaled 224,620, down 1.7%, while weekly intermodal volume totaled 294,284 containers and trailers, down 1.2%.

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR each week posted an increase in during the week. They were miscellaneous, up 8.7% to 9,514 carloads; metallic ores and metals, up 2.7% to 19,269; and coal, up 0.6% to 61,733.

Commodity groups that logged decreases included nonmetallic minerals, down 6.5% to 27,814 carloads; grain, down 5.4% to 22,944; and chemicals, down 2.6% to 32,013.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 91,707 carloads for the week, down 0.02%, and 66,869 intermodal units, down 1.4%. Mexican railroads posted 12,944 carloads, down 11.6%, and 15,376 intermodal units, up 15%.

For the first 50 weeks of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024:

• U.S. railroads posted 24,685,267 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.7%;
• Canadian railroads reported 8,102,247 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2%; and
• Mexican railroads logged 1,186,096 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6%.