Overview

• Board member Robert Primus said he was terminated by email, called the action legally invalid, and vowed to continue his duties while weighing legal options.
• The White House said Primus did not align with the President’s America First agenda and signaled it will nominate new members to the rail regulator soon.
• The move creates a vacancy that could alter the Surface Transportation Board’s partisan makeup ahead of the merger decision, with any replacements requiring Senate confirmation.
• Rail union SMART-TD denounced the firing as unprecedented and alleged improper influence by major carriers and hedge funds.
• Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern shares rose after the news as the board reviews a deal that would create the first continuous transcontinental railroad.