by Calculated Threat on 9/07/2025 08:09:00 AM
From the Affiliation of American Railroads (AAR) AAR Knowledge Middle. Graph and excerpts reprinted with permission.
The AAR Freight Rail Index
(FRI), which measures seasonally adjusted month
to-month rail intermodal shipments plus carloads
excluding coal and grain, fell 0.5% in August 2025
from July 2025, its fourth decline up to now 5
months. Nonetheless, the index stays comparatively robust:
since 2008, it’s been larger than it was in August much less
than 15% of the time.
emphasis added
Rail intermodal volumes are intently tied to port exercise (particularly within the west) and the buyer aspect of the
economic system. In August, U.S. rail intermodal shipments have been up 0.5% over final yr. Common weekly intermodal
quantity in August 2025 was 284,316 containers and trailers, essentially the most for any month since Might 2021 and the
most for August since 2018.
…
In the meantime, year-over-year whole U.S. rail carloads rose 0.7% in August 2025 over August 2024, marking six
consecutive month-to-month positive factors. Eleven of the 20 main carload classes tracked by the AAR noticed positive factors in August,
the sixth straight month through which at the least half the classes noticed will increase. Whole carloads averaged 230,184 per
week in August 2025, essentially the most for any month since October 2022. In 2025 via August, whole carloads have been
up 2.5%, or practically 192,000 carloads, over final yr.
