Overview
- Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted a nearly 7,000-page application to the Surface Transportation Board, triggering a 30-day period for information requests or initial remedies and formal stakeholder input.
- The review is the first major railroad merger tested under the STB’s stricter 2001 framework, which demands evidence of enhanced competition rather than mere preservation of it.
- The railroads say a single-line network would bypass delay-prone Chicago interchanges, reduce handoffs, speed transit times and make rail more competitive with long-haul trucking.
- Rivals including BNSF and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have criticized the deal as a threat to shipper choice and pricing, and unions and trade groups have registered objections.
- The proposed combination would span about 50,000 route miles across 43 states and more than 100 ports, with the companies targeting an early 2027 closing subject to STB approval.