U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending October 18, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending October 18, were mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads, at 224,244, eked out a 0.3% annual increase, trailing the week ending October 11, at 224,562, and the week ending October 4, at 224,972,

AAR reported that five of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: nonmetallic minerals, up 3,253 carloads, to 33,517; metallic ores and metals, up 1,461 carloads, to 20,355; and chemicals, up 970 carloads, to 32,046. Commodity groups posting annual declines included: grain, down 2,364 carloads, to 21,011; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,521 carloads, to 8,413; and coal, down 1,057 carloads, to 57,604.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 273,610 units, fell 4.8% annually, trailing the weeks ending October 11 and October 4, at 273,900, and 278,566, respectively.

Through the first 42 weeks of 2025, AAR reported that total U.S. rail carloads, at 9,326,053, are up 2.0% annually, and intermodal units, at 11,399,777, are up 3.2% annually.

In its recently published “Rail Industry Overview” publication, AAR observed that rail traffic volumes in recent weeks “continue to adjust to evolving market conditions.” That was made clear in its September data, which found that total U.S. rail carloads fell 1.2% annually, with 12 of 20 commodities seeing annual declines. It added that total carloads averaged 225,783 per week in September, more than the weekly average for the first nine months of the year (221,853). Year-to-date total carloads through September were up 2.1%, or more than 180,000 carloads, over the same period in 2024.

As for intermodal, the publication noted that September U.S. intermodal shipments were off 1.3% annually, with average weekly intermodal volume, for the month, at 275,559 units, well-above the year-to-date weekly average of 271,121. Year-to-date intermodal volume through September was 10.57 million units—up 3.5% (362,000 units) over last year, the most since 2021, and the third most ever.