Freight traffic on U.S. railroads continued its recent downward trend during the week ending Oct. 18.
According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total weekly traffic was 498,462 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3% from the same week a year ago. It was the fifth time in the past seven weeks that traffic has been below 2024 levels. The latest figure includes 224,244 carloads, up 0.3% over the same week in 2024, and 273,610 containers and trailers, off 4.8%.
Year-to-date, overall volume of 20,725,830 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers is up 2.7% through the first 42 weeks of 2025. That includes 9,326,053 carloads, a gain of 2%, and 11,399,777 intermodal units, an increase of 3.2%.
Winners and losers were evenly split among carloads, with gainers led by nonmetallic minerals, 10.7%, metallic ores and minerals, 7.7% and chemicals, 3.1%. Decliners included non-specific, or other, carloads, 15.3%, and grain, 10.1%.
North American volume for the week, as reported by nine U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, was 688,783 carloads and intermodal units, down 1% from the same week a year ago. Included in that figure are 330,151 carloads, flat from a year ago, and 358,632 intermodal units, a decline of 1.9%. Through 42 weeks of 2025, North American volume is 28,533,333 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2% from the same period in 2024.
Canadian volume for the week was 92,310 carloads, down 2.9%, and 70,928 intermodal units, up 5.2%, while the year-to-date total of 6,802,397 carloads and intermodal units is a gain of 1.9% over the first 42 weeks of 2024. In Mexico, traffic for the week was 13,597 carloads, up 19.2% over the same week a year ago, and 14,094 intermodal units, up 33.9%. For the year to date, the Mexican volume of 1,005,106 carloads and intermodal units represents a 4.4% decline.
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