U.S. rail traffic showed a massive jump for the week ending Jan. 18, 2025, with both carload and intermodal traffic up more than 25% from the same week a year earlier.
Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show overall traffic for the week was 500,160 carloads and intermodal units, a 25.9% increase. That included 216,457 carloads, up 25.1%, and 287,703 containers and trailers, up 26.5%.
While railroad officials have suggested that they are seeing traffic increases as importers move ahead of potential tariffs, the comparable week a year ago showed lower-than-average volumes: third-week traffic for the week ending Jan. 20, 2024, featured a 13.2% decrease from the same week in 2023, with all commodity groups showing declines.
Through three weeks, U.S. carload traffic is up 3.4% and intermodal traffic has increased 14% compared to the same period in 2024, with overall volume up 9.1%.
North American volume for the week from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads included 323,633 carloads, up 22.9% from the corresponding week in 2024, and 368,180 intermodal units, up 27%. The total volume of 691,813 carloads represents a 25.1% increase. Year-to-date North American volume is up 8.9% compared to the first three weeks of 2024. That includes a 10.6% increase in Canada and a 4.4% decrease in Mexico.
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