U.S. freight-rail traffic falls 5% in Week 45

U.S. freight railroads hauled 493,493 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Nov. 8, down 4.9% compared with the same week in 2024, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads hauled rose 0.1% to 224,651 and while intermodal volume fell 8.7% to 68,842 containers and trailers.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR each week posted an increase in traffic compared to the same week last year. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 12.9% to 32,939 carloads; grain, up 3.4% to 24,291; and miscellaneous, up 8.4% to 8,469.

Commodity groups that posted decreases during the week included motor vehicles and parts, down 9.4% to 13,840 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 6.6% to 19,056; and coal, down 2.1% to 57,352.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads hauled 91,232 carloads in the week, down 2.6%, and 69,344 intermodal units, up 65.4%. Mexican railroads posted 12,112 carloads, down 4.2%, and 13,086 intermodal units, down 0.1%.

For the first 45 weeks of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024:

• U.S. railroads hauled 22,215,939 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2%;
• Canadian railroads logged 7,293,052 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1%; and
• Mexican railroads posted 1,084,094 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.7%.