AAR: Petroleum Carloads Fall 2.5% Week Ending Oct. 4

SECAUCUS, NJ (DTN) –The Association of American Railroads (AAR) data show petroleum and petroleum product carloads totaled 10,538 in the week ending October 4, down by 2.5% from the same week in 2024.

Year to date, petroleum and petroleum products carloads totaled 412,297, down by 1.2% from the corresponding period of the prior year, AAR reported on Wednesday (10/8).

AAR reports that total U.S. weekly rail traffic rose instead year-on-year – reaching 503,538 carloads and intermodal units in the week profiled, or 3.6% higher from the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week-ended October 4 was 224,972 — unchanged from the corresponding week of 2024.

U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 278,566 containers and trailers, a 6.7% increase from last year.

For the first 40 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,877,247 carloads, up by 2.1% from the year-ago period, and 10,852,267 intermodal units, higher by 3.6% year-on-year.

Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 40 weeks of 2025 was 19,729,514 carloads and intermodal units, reflecting a 2.9% increase compared to last year.