Weekly snapshot from the Association of American Railroads

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) released data for the week ending November 29 showing mixed results across U.S. rail traffic, with divergent trends between carloads and intermodal volumes.

Overall rail carload totals and year-over-year change

Rail carloads for the reporting week totaled 197,955, representing a 4.3% increase compared with the same week a year earlier. That weekly total was lower than the volumes recorded in the prior two weeks, which were 234,592 for the week ending November 22 and 223,101 for the week ending November 15.

Commodity groups that rose year over year

AAR reported that six of the 10 carload commodity groups it monitors posted annual gains. Notable increases included:

• Coal — up by 4,818 carloads, reaching 56,972 carloads
• Nonmetallic minerals — up by 2,858 carloads, reaching 23,353 carloads
• Grain — up by 2,424 carloads, reaching 21,019 carloads

Commodity groups that declined year over year

Some categories saw year-over-year declines for the week, including:

• Miscellaneous carloads — down by 1,046 carloads, to 6,769 carloads
• Forest products — down by 849 carloads, to 6,848 carloads
• Chemicals — down by 679 carloads, to 29,583 carloads

Intermodal containers and trailers performance

Intermodal traffic — containers and trailers — totaled 234,860 units for the week, a 6.5% decrease from the same week last year. That weekly intermodal count was slightly above the prior two weeks, which registered 234,592 for the week ending November 22 and 223,101 for the week ending November 15.

Year-to-date volumes through 48 weeks of 2025

Through the first 48 weeks of 2025, AAR reported cumulative totals showing modest annual growth: U.S. rail carloads reached 10,660,309, up 1.8% year over year, while intermodal units totaled 12,997,055, up 1.9% for the same period.