WASHINGTON — For a fourth straight week, U.S. rail traffic has recorded an increase of more than 5% over the same week a year earlier.
Statistics from the Association of American Railroads for the week ending March 22 show total traffic was 496,214 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.5% increase over the same week in 2024. That includes 224,904 carloads, up 4.5%, and 271,310 intermodal units, up 6.3%.
Total volume through 12 weeks of 2025 is 5,802,711 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.2% increase over the same period a year ago. The total includes a 0.6% decline in carload traffic and an 8.2% gain in intermodal volume.
North American volume for the week, from nine reporting U.S, Canadian, and Mexican railroads, totaled 333,674 carloads, up 3% from the corresponding week a year ago, and 358,481 intermodal units, an increase of 5.3%. The total volume of 692,115 carload and intermodal units represents a 4.2% increase.
Year-to-date traffic in North America, 7,962,904 carloads and intermodal units, is up 2.6% over the first 12 weeks of 2024. That includes a 0.2% decline in Canada and an 8.4% drop in Mexico.
Most of these numbers are good except this quarter lumber is down that should change soon once the housing market recovers.
Now that the decline of coal has ended a better picture of the growth of rail traffic can be seen this year.