U.S. freight-rail traffic soars 26% in Week 3

U.S. freight-rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 18 was 500,160 carloads and intermodal units, a 25.9% increase compared with traffic levels in the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads for the week were 216,457 carloads, up 25.1%, while intermodal volume reached 283,703 containers and trailers, up 26.5% compared to 2024.

All 10 of the carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR posted increased traffic. Notably, coal rose 24.6% to 59,223 carloads; chemicals increased 22.8% to 34,150; and nonmetallic minerals were up 32.2% to 24,622 carloads.

Canadian railroads posted 92,085 carloads for the week, up 22.7%, and 73,196 intermodal units, up 34.9%. Mexican railroads reported 15,091 carloads, down 0.8%, and 11,281 intermodal units, down 1.1%.

For the first three weeks of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024:
• U.S. railroads reported 1,386,960 carloads, containers and trailers, up 9.1%;
• Canadian railroads posted 470,264 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.6%; 
• Mexican railroads hauled 71,468 carloads, containers and trailers, down 4.4%; and
• North American railroads hauled a combined 1,928,692 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.9%;