STB pauses review of UP-NS merger proposal — again

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board on Thursday announced that it has paused the review of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application — again. “Several aspects of the revised application… are unclear or underdeveloped and require supplementation at this stage,” the STB said.

In April the two companies resubmitted their merger application to create a coast-to-coast U.S. freight rail operator after their initial proposal was determined to be insufficient and incomplete in January.

The board has now asked the two railroads for more ‌details related ⁠to competition and the effect the merger will have on other railroads, among other topics, by July 27.

In response, the Stop the Rail Merger coalition, representing a broad cross section of the U.S. economy and including BLET and the Teamsters Rail Conference, issued a statement, which in part, reads:

“UP and NS have once again submitted an extremely flawed proposal. They have overstated benefits, minimized harm, and left critical questions unanswered. This merger is a bad deal for America and must be rejected.”

The Teamsters Rail Conference, which includes BLET and BMWED, represents the majority of the unionized workforce at UP and NS.

For more information see: 

• Stop the Rail Merger Coalition — Press release commending STB’s scrutiny of bad UP-NS merger deal
• Reuters — Federal regulator pauses review of Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern’s $85 billion merger
• Trains.com — STB accepts UP-NS merger application but wants more information before review can begin