U.S. freight-rail traffic falls 7% in Week 51

U.S. freight railroads transported 487,138 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Dec. 20, down 7% compared with traffic in the same week in 2024, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads declined 10.5% to 206,674, while intermodal units dropped 4.3% to 280,464 containers and trailers.

Two of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by AAR each week posted increases in carloads. They were grain, up 5.9% to 23,272 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 1.1% to 16,024.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included coal, down 15.7% to 51,534 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 88.7% to 1,044; and chemicals, down 10.4% to 31,508.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 89,678 carloads in the week, down 3.5%, and 66,363 intermodal units, down 3.9%. Mexican railroads carried 14,205 carloads, down 12.5%, and 14,852 intermodal units, up 5.5%.

For the first 51 weeks of 2025 compared with traffic in the same period in 2024:

• U.S. railroads hauled 25,172,405 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.5%;
• Canadian railroads logged 8,258,288 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1%; and
• Mexican railroads posted 1,215,153 carloads, containers and trailers, down 5.5%.