Gains in commodity rail shipments were outweighed by slowing intermodal traffic that dragged U.S. carload freight down in the latest weekly data.
Total U.S. rail traffic of carloads and intermodal units was down 0.8% for the week ending August 23 from the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Commodities were up 0.6% y/y, while intermodal volume was off 1.9% from 2024.
Four of 10 commodity groups were better, led by grain, up 9.2%, and motor vehicles and parts, up 6%. Farm products excluding grain, and food, increased 4.1%, while chemical shipments improved by 0.4%.
Decliners were led by petroleum and petroleum products, down 9.9%.
For the first 34 weeks of 2025, U.S. cumulative carload volume was ahead 2.6% y/y, while intermodal units gained by 4.2%. Total combined traffic increased by 3.5% from 2024.
North American weekly volume on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads was up 5.3% y/y; intermodal units improved by 5.9%. Total combined traffic was 5.6% better. North American volume for the first 34 weeks of 2025 was up 2.7% from a year ago.
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