U.S. freight-rail traffic dips 1.3% in Week 23

U.S. freight railroads hauled 483,897 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending June 7, a 1.3% decrease compared with traffic levels in the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads for the week totaled 225,301, up 3.1%, while intermodal volume totaled 258,506 containers and trailers, down 4.9%.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted an increase. They included coal, up 5% to 57,889 carloads; miscellaneous, up 22.7% to 10,010; and nonmetallic minerals, up 4.9% to 32,404. Among the commodities that logged decreases were motor vehicles and parts, down 4.2% to 15,958 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 4.1% to 10,643; and farm products excluding grain, and food, down 2.6% to 16,985.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 89,304 carloads for the week, down 0.4%, and 75,377 intermodal units, up 6.5%. Mexican railroads posted 16,218 carloads for the week, up 10.8%, and 9,909 intermodal units, down 13.6%.

For the first 23 weeks of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024:

• U.S. railroads logged 5,025,834 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.5% increase;
• Canadian railroads reported 3,740,869 carloads, containers and trailers, a 1% increase; and
• Mexican railroads posted 536,415 carloads, containers and trailers, a 9.4% decrease.