Freight trains seeing a rise in week's last stretch
The rail industry in the United States is experiencing a robust growth in 2025, as evidenced by the latest data. According to reports, U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 19, 2025, saw an increase of 5.6% year-over-year, with a total of approximately 506,882 carloads and intermodal units processed [1][2][3].
This upward trend has been consistent since the beginning of the year. As of mid-2025, total combined U.S. rail traffic reached approximately 14.13 million carloads and intermodal units, marking a 3.9% increase over the same period last year [2][3].
Breaking down the components, carloads totaled about 6.36 million, up 2.7% from 2024. Intermodal units (containers and trailers) showed a stronger rise, totaling about 7.77 million, a 5.0% increase over the previous year [2][3].
Weekly data around mid-July 2025 confirms this growth trend. Weekly carloads alone were up 7.3%, while intermodal units grew by 4.3% compared to the same week in 2024 [2][3].
This growth is reflected across all carload commodity groups, including coal, grain, and metallic ores and metals, indicating a broad-based strength in the rail freight sector [2]. Notably, coal saw a significant increase of 4,496 carloads to 62,270, while metallic ores and metals climbed by 1,781 carloads to 21,220 [1]. Grain also increased by 4,284 carloads to 21,541 [1].
However, it's worth noting that the earnings of CSX Corporation have decreased due to lower revenue and higher costs. This decline is attributed to weaker coal and carloads performances [1].
In other news, Union Pacific has announced its earnings, and Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific are reportedly in confirmed merger talks [1].
In summary, U.S. rail traffic is rising steadily in 2025, driven by a notable increase in intermodal movement alongside a solid gain in traditional carloads. The combined growth rate of nearly 4% year-to-date reflects positive momentum in rail freight volumes [1][2][3].
The finance sector is closely monitoring the profits of rail industry giants, such as CSX Corporation, as their earnings have decreased due to lower revenue and higher costs.
In the realm of finance, it's essential to keep track of the financial health of key players in the transportation industry, like Union Pacific, as they are currently engaged in merger talks.
