WASHINGTON — After a one-week dip into negative territory, U.S. weekly rail traffic has climbed back above 2024 levels.
According to the Association of American Railroads, volume for the week ending March 1, 2025, was 508,531 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.4% increase over the same week a year ago. That includes 222,757 carloads, up 1.4%, and 285,774 containers and trailers, an increase of 8.8%.
The gain comes a week after volume fell 5.1% below 2024 levels for the week ending Feb. 22 [see “U.S. weekly rail volume falls …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 27, 2025].
For the year to date, carload volume is down 2% compared to the first nine weeks of 2024, while intermodal volume is up 8.5%. The total volume of 4,305,612 carloads and intermodal units is a 3.7% increase over the same period last year.
North American volume for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, includes 328,217 carloads, up 2.6% over the corresponding week in 2024, and 364,051 intermodal units, up 6.8%. The total volume of 692,268 carloads and intermodal units is a 4.8% increase over the same week a year ago.
North American traffic through the first nine weeks of 2025 is up 2.3% compared to the first nine weeks of 2024. That includes a 0.7% decline in Canada and a 4.2% drop in Mexico.
