Last week, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) adopted a procedural schedule and timeline for consideration of the UP-NS merger application, but ordered the railroads to turn over “substantial” additional data by August 28. Importantly, STB said that release of the schedule does not constitute a ruling on the merits of the case and does not take into consideration motions filed after July 27. The STB’s new procedural schedule delays any final decision to late 2027.
STB also rejected the railroads’ request to expedite certain aspects of their proposed merger and to shorten the comment period.
“Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have once again been asked to resubmit certain workpapers that withheld potentially important data from the STB and the public. The overwhelming evidence continues to show that this merger is a bad deal for consumers, workers, and competition,” the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition said in a prepared statement. “The companies seeking this merger have repeatedly tried to rush and short-circuit review of this merger through procedural tactics and incomplete disclosure. They should not be given unprecedented power over the American consumer. We urge the STB to continue subjecting this deal to the rigorous scrutiny it deserves. The more regulators look under the hood, the more reasons they have to reject it.”
The BLET is part of the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition, which represents a broad cross-section of the U.S. economy and is united against a merger that would reduce competition, increase costs, and weaken America’s supply chain.