The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 1, 2025.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 508,531 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.4 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending March 1 were 222,757 carloads, up 1.4 percent compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 285,774 containers and trailers, up 8.8 percent compared to 2024.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included coal, up 2,692 carloads, to 60,073; grain, up 1,491 carloads, to 20,924; and motor vehicles and parts, up 543 carloads, to 16,435. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included nonmetallic minerals, down 1,424 carloads, to 27,396; metallic ores and metals, down 723 carloads, to 18,964; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 224 carloads, to 17,567.
For the first nine weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 1,869,282 carloads, down 2.0 percent from the same point last year, and 2,436,330 intermodal units, up 8.5 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first nine weeks of 2025 was 4,305,612 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.7 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 1, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,217 carloads, up 2.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 364,051 intermodal units, up 6.8 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 692,268 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first nine weeks of 2025 was 5,899,561 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 91,245 carloads for the week, up 2.4 percent, and 66,807 intermodal units, down 6.0 percent compared with the same week in 2024. For the first nine weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,384,628 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 0.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 14,215 carloads for the week, up 28.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,470 intermodal units, up 61.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first nine weeks of 2025 was 209,321 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 4.2 percent from the same point last year.
