AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down for Week 8

[mahatmakanejeeves]

February 26, 2025 Class I
AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down for Week 8
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor

Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 22, came in at 458,513 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1% from the same point last year, the Association of American Railroads reported on Feb. 26.

According to AAR, U.S. Class I railroads hauled 193,252 carloads, a 13.6% dip from the same week last year, and 265,261 containers and trailers, up 2.3% from 2024.



One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. It was chemicals, up 70 carloads, to 33,527. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included coal, down 13,190 carloads, to 47,852; grain, down 5,347 carloads, to 16,374; and nonmetallic minerals, down 4,770 carloads, to 22,827.

For the first eight weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,646,525 carloads, down 2.4% from the same period in 2024; and 2,150,556 intermodal units, up 8.4% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first eight weeks of 2025 was 3,797,081 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4% from last year.

{snip}

[SWBTATTReg]

1. For those who don't know what intermodal means...

it means different modes of transportation is involved w/ the shipping of particular goods. Thus, delivering a shipment of chocolate via shipping then to a truck to get to my grocery store is 'intermodal'.

I went the longest time always wondering what this term meant. And now we know! New fact of the day.

[Cirsium]

3. Not quite

Intermodal means that the same container goes on ship, rail and truck. Before the advent of intermodal containers freight needed to be unloaded and reloaded between ship, rail, and truck transit.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Interesting statistic I was not aware was gathered. . . . . . nt