U.S. freight-rail traffic falls 1.8% in Week 48

U.S. freight railroads hauled 431,435 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Nov. 29, down 1.8% compared with traffic in the same week in 2024, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads rose 4.3% to 197,955 units, while intermodal units fell 6.5% to 233,480 containers and trailers.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by AAR each week posted an increase during the week. They included coal, up 9.2% to 56,972 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 13.9% to 23,353; and grain, up 13% to 21,019.

Commodity groups that logged decreases included miscellaneous, down 13.4% to 6,769 carloads; forest products, down 11% to 6,848; and chemicals, down 2.2% to 29,583.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads posted 90,821 carloads in the week, up 2.6%, and 71,365 intermodal units, up 2.1%. Mexican railroads carried 13,375 carloads, down 8.9%, and 15,231 intermodal units, up 19.4%.

In the first 48 weeks of 2025 compared with traffic in the same period in 2024:

• U.S. railroads hauled 23,657,364 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.9%;
• Canadian railroads logged 7,781,352 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3%; and
• Mexican railroads posted 1,139,451 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.4%.