AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending December 13, 2025

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 13, 2025.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 518,904 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.4 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending December 13 were 224,620 carloads, down 1.7 percent compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 294,284 containers and trailers, down 1.2 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 764 carloads, to 9,514; metallic ores and metals, up 501 carloads, to 19,269; and coal, up 345 carloads, to 61,733. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included nonmetallic minerals, down 1,919 carloads, to 27,814; grain, down 1,321 carloads, to 22,944; and chemicals, down 858 carloads, to 32,013.

For the first 50 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,113,752 carloads, up 1.8 percent from the same point last year; and 13,571,515 intermodal units, up 1.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 50 weeks of 2025 was 24,685,267 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.7 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending December 13, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 329,271 carloads, down 1.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 376,529 intermodal units, down 0.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 705,800 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2025 was 33,973,610 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.6 percent compared with 2024.

Canadian railroads reported 91,707 carloads for the week, down 0.02 percent, and 66,869 intermodal units, down 1.4 percent compared with the same week in 2024. For the first 50 weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,102,247 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.2 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 12,944 carloads for the week, down 11.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 15,376 intermodal units, up 15.0 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 50 weeks of 2025 was 1,186,096 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.6 percent from the same point last year.