WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remained ahead of 2024 levels in the week ending April 5, the sixth straight week of such gains and just the second showing a double-digit increase.
According to information from the Association of American Railroads, volume for the week was 500,584 carloads and intermodal units, an 11.2% increase over the same week a year ago. That includes 226,790 carloads, up 8.5%, and 273,794 containers and trailers, a 13.6% increase.
The only other week this year to see double-digit gains over 2024 levels was the week of Jan. 18, when traffic jumped 25.9% [see “U.S. weekly rail volume …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 23, 2025].
For the year to date, carload traffic is up 0.7% while intermodal volume is up 8.7%. The total of 6,816,848 carloads and intermodal units represents a 5% increase over the first 14 weeks of 2024.
North American volume for the week, as reported by nine U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, was 685,076 carloads and intermodal units, a 7% increase over the corresponding week in 2024. That includes 329,212 carloads, up 3.7%, and 335,865 intermodal units, up 10.3%.
North American volume through 14 weeks is 9,367,352 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.3% compared to the same period a year ago. That includes a 0.1% increase in Canada and an 8.2% drop in Mexico.
