U.S. freight-rail traffic drops 3.9% in Week 44

Freight railroads in the United States hauled 496,928 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Nov. 1, down 3.9% compared with traffic from the same week in 2024, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads for the week totaled 227,209, down 0.7%, while weekly intermodal volume totaled 269,719 containers and trailers, down 6.4%.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR each week posted an increase. They  included grain, up 6.4% to 25,171 carloads; metallic ores and metals, up 5.5% to 21,151; and miscellaneous carloads, up 8.9% to 9,517.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included coal, down 3.3% to 55,508 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, down 10.1% to 14,917; and nonmetallic minerals, down 1.7% to 32,563.

Canadian railroads reported 95,112 carloads for the week, down 1.8%, and 71,350 intermodal units, up 1.9%. Mexican railroads posted 11,483 carloads, down 21.3%, and 13,791 intermodal units, up 12.9%.

For the first 44 weeks of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024:

• U.S. railroads posted 21,722,446 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4%;
• Canadian railroads reported 7,132,476 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.7%; and
• Mexican railroads logged 1,058,896 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.7%.