Weekly rail freight showed a marked improvement as total U.S. weekly traffic reached 443,049 carloads and intermodal units, reflecting a 5% increase compared to the year-ago period.
Total carloads for the week ending July 5 were reported at 204,513, an increase of 4.8% compared to the corresponding week in 2024, according to the Association of American Railroads, which also included July 4.
Intermodal volume was 238,536 containers and trailers, 5.2% ahead of the previous-year period.
An uptick was recorded in eight out of ten categories y/y compared to the previous year. Motor vehicles and parts led, up 12.9%, followed by metallic ores and metals, ahead 10%.
Narrow declines were seen in forest products, off 2%, and farm products excluding grain and food, down 1% y/y.
For the first 27 weeks of 2025, cumulative U.S. rail traffic showed a positive trajectory with 5,910,080 carloads, an increase of 2.5% from a year ago. Intermodal amounted to 7,221,865 units, up 5.1%. Collectively, traffic came in at 13,131,945 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.9% climb y/y.
North American rail volumes for U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 301,800 carloads, marking a 2.2% rise y/y. Intermodal surged by 6.9%, to 323,164 units. Altogether, the total combined weekly rail traffic in North America reached 624,964 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.6% increase. Year-to-date, North American rail volume stands at 18,170,855 carloads and intermodal units, showing 2.8% growth over 2024.
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Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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