The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 22, 2025. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 458,513 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending February 22 were 193,252 carloads, down 13.6 percent compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 265,261 containers and trailers, up 2.3 percent compared to 2024.
One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. It was chemicals, up 70 carloads, to 33,527.
Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included coal, down 13,190 carloads, to 47,852; grain, down 5,347 carloads, to 16,374; and nonmetallic minerals, down 4,770 carloads, to 22,827.
For the first eight weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 1,646,525 carloads, down 2.4 percent from the same point last year; and 2,150,556 intermodal units, up 8.4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first eight weeks of 2025 was 3,797,081 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 22, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 288,166 carloads, down 14.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 334,375 intermodal units, down 2.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 622,541 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first eight weeks of 2025 was 5,207,293 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.0 percent compared with 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 78,789 carloads for the week, down 16.6 percent, and 56,127 intermodal units, down 19.1 percent compared with the same week in 2024. For the first eight weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,226,576 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 0.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,125 carloads for the week, down 13.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,987 intermodal units, up 1.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first eight weeks of 2025 was 183,636 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 8.3 percent from the same point last year.
