The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 5, 2025.
For this week, the total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 500,584 carloads and intermodal units, which is up 11.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending April 5 were 226,790 carloads, up 8.5 percent compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 273,794 containers and trailers, up 13.6 percent compared to 2024.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included coal, up 11,641 carloads, to 58,314; nonmetallic minerals, up 2,212 carloads, to 31,753; and chemicals, up 1,518 carloads, to 33,423. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 were petroleum and petroleum products, down 521 carloads, to 9,475; forest products, down 231 carloads, to 8,309; and miscellaneous carloads, down 129 carloads, to 8,489.
For the first 14 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 3,002,325 carloads, up 0.7 percent from the same point last year, and 3,814,523 intermodal units, up 8.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 14 weeks of 2025 was 6,816,848 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 5.0 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 5, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 329,212 carloads, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 355,864 intermodal units, up 10.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 685,076 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.0 percent. North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2025 was 9,367,352 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.3 percent compared with 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 92,356 carloads for the week, down 3.3 percent, and 72,096 intermodal units, down 0.6 percent compared with the same week in 2024. For the first 14 weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,221,406 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.1 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 10,066 carloads for the week, down 22.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,974 intermodal units, up 9.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 14 weeks of 2025 was 329,098 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 8.2 percent from the same point last year.
