Mexico–US Rail Volumes Decline Amid Regional Rail Weakness: AAR

Mexican railroads report a sharp decline in traffic to the United States for the week ending Aug. 16, 2025, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Weekly carloads fell 22.8% to 11,687, while intermodal units dropped 23.3% to 10,123 compared to the same week in 2024.

For the first 33 weeks of 2025, cumulative Mexican rail traffic stood at 763,186 carloads and intermodal units, marking an 8.9% YoY decrease. The figures highlight the ongoing challenges the sector faces in Mexico, and contrast with relatively stronger performances in the United States and Canada.

US Rail Traffic

In the United States, total weekly rail traffic reached 512,970 carloads and intermodal units, a slight 0.7% decline from the same period last year. Carloads totaled 228,884, down 0.9%, while intermodal volume slipped 0.6% to 284,086 containers and trailers.

Commodity trends were mixed:

• Coal shipments rose by 1,807 carloads to 63,878.

• Forest products also gained 181 carloads to 8,236.

• Losses were recorded in miscellaneous carloads (down 1,236 to 7,881), metallic ores and metals (down 940 to 19,559), and grain (down 665 to 20,981).

Despite the weekly dip, cumulative US performance remains positive. Railroads moved 7.28 million carloads (up 2.7%) and 8.9 million intermodal units (up 4.4%) in the first 33 weeks of 2025. Combined traffic of 16.19 million units represented a 3.6% YoY increase.

Canadian Railroads

Canadian railroads posted 79,619 carloads for the week, a drop of 8.1% YoY, while intermodal units rose 3.6% to 71,459. For the year-to-date, Canadian railroads handled 5.35 million units, up 1.5% from 2024.

North America Overall

Across all three countries, North American railroads moved 685,858 carloads and intermodal units for the week, down 2.1% from last year. Carloads fell 3.8% to 320,190, while intermodal volume slipped 0.6% to 365,668.

Cumulatively, North American rail traffic totaled 22.29 million units for the first 33 weeks of 2025, a 2.6% increase compared with the same period last year.