U.S. rail traffic declined for the ninth consecutive week, driven by a continued drop in intermodal volume. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, the overall volume for the week ending December 6 was 508,999 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.3% from the same week in 2024.

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The overall figure consisted of 228,823 carloads, which was a 1.7% increase, and 280,176 containers and trailers, which fell by 5.4%. The last week that total traffic exceeded 2024 levels was the week ending October 4.

Among commodity carloads, grain rose by 8.4%, coal by 5.4%, and nonmetallic minerals by 4.1%. Forest products and chemicals declined by 4.2% and 3.1%, respectively.

For the first 49 weeks of 2025, total U.S. rail traffic reached 24,166,363 carloads and intermodal units, representing a 1.8% increase over the same period a year ago. Both carloads, at 10,889,132, and intermodal units, at 13,277,231, showed a 1.8% gain year-to-date.

North American rail volume for the week, reported by nine railroads across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, was 697,896 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.2%. Carloads increased by 1.9% to 335,803, while intermodal units fell 4% to 362,093. The cumulative North American volume for the year is 33,276,063 units, up 1.7% from 2024.

In Canada, weekly carloads rose 2.5% to 94,333, while intermodal units fell 1.8% to 67,966. Year-to-date Canadian volume is up 2.3%. In Mexico, weekly carloads increased 2.3% to 12,647, and intermodal units surged 18.4% to 13,931. However, Mexico’s cumulative volume for the year is down 5%.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform