Intermodal traffic continues to hold down overall U.S. rail volume
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic declined for the ninth consecutive week, with falling intermodal volumes again pulling down the national totals. For the week ending Dec. 6, the Association of American Railroads reported overall U.S. rail volume of 508,999 total carloads and intermodal units.
For trucking, the weekly rail numbers matter because intermodal is the part of rail that overlaps most directly with highway freight: the containers and trailers that can move by either train or truck. When intermodal drops, it can signal a shift in how freight is moving and where capacity is being used.
Railroads have long promoted intermodal as an efficient way to move freight over longer distances. In 2018, U.S. rail freight transport energy efficiency was reported at 473 ton-miles per gallon of fuel. Even so, railroads in recent years have gradually been losing intermodal traffic to trucking, keeping added pressure on overall rail volume when intermodal demand softens.
Broader transportation indicators also reflect softness across multiple modes. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) decreased in October due to decreases in rail carloads, rail intermodal, pipeline, and trucking, while air freight and water volumes increased.
At the railroad level, intermodal remains a major line of business even as weekly totals fluctuate. BNSF’s intermodal shipments totaled 5.3 million in 2024, underscoring how central containerized freight is to the rail network and to the truck-rail interchange that feeds it.
Infrastructure continues to develop around container flows as well. A $127 million rail facility about 50 miles from Atlanta is expected to be served by Norfolk Southern “doublestack” trains, with officials saying it would help reduce Atlanta traffic while connecting northeast Georgia to the Port of Savannah.
The latest weekly decline reinforces a trend drivers have been watching closely: intermodal volumes remain the key swing factor in rail’s overall performance, and changes there can influence where freight lands—on the rail network or on the highway.