Business
Rail Customers Say Competition Must Come First in UP-NS Merger Review
The Rail Customer Coalition (RCC) today issued a stark warning regarding Union Pacific's formal application to merge with Norfolk Southern.
About this update from Norfolk Southern Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"STB Faces Its Biggest Test: Must Stand Up for Competition","length":57,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rail Customer Coalition (RCC) today issued a stark warning regarding Union Pacific's formal application to merge with Norfolk Southern.","length":185,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Rail Customer Coalition","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Rail Customer Coalition","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":280,"height":266,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/c786a4b439dc7e7ca56187d94605e7c5"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8AzDMuQzcpAbj_8SsHOZ2w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTM5OTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/c786a4b439dc7e7ca56187d94605e7c5","width":280,"height":266}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2849779/Rail_Customer_Coalition_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"While UP-NS would like to declare victory right out of the gate, the push back regarding the merger is building as it faces the most rigorous review in STB history.","length":164,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The proposed merger would mark the largest railroad consolidation in U.S. history and the most consequential case ever reviewed by the STB. It is an unprecedented test of the Board's updated merger standards that were adopted after previous mergers upended the rail network and crippled the national supply chain.","length":317,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The new standards require an application to clearly demonstrate how the merger will improve service and enhance rail-to-rail competition. The Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern application fails to meet that standard.","length":213,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Costly Legacy","length":13,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"American businesses are still paying the price for prior rail mergers. Today, just four companies control 90% of U.S. freight rail traffic. As a result, freight rail rates have soared more than 40% (inflation-adjusted) over the past two decades, while rail customers face frequent service disruptions.","length":301,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Sticker Shock","length":13,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"If approv...