The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 6, 2025.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 467,880 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.4 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending September 6 were 214,383 carloads, down 3.5 percent compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 253,497 containers and trailers, down 1.4 percent compared to 2024.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They were miscellaneous carloads, up 1,132 carloads, to 8,512; motor vehicles and parts, up 973 carloads, to 14,633; and forest products, up 286 carloads, to 7,801. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included chemicals, down 2,875 carloads, to 29,802; coal, down 2,824 carloads, to 60,927; and grain, down 1,570 carloads, to 18,067.
For the first 36 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,963,526 carloads, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year, and 9,724,964 intermodal units, up 4.0 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2025 was 17,688,490 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.3 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending September 6, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 312,974 carloads, down 2.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 333,374 intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 646,348 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of 2025 was 24,348,314 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6 percent compared with 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 85,891 carloads for the week, down 1.4 percent, and 66,397 intermodal units, up 0.8 percent compared with the same week in 2024. For the first 36 weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,814,174 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.2 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 12,700 carloads for the week, up 26.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,480 intermodal units, up 59.0 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2025 was 845,650 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 7.5 percent from the same point last year.
