WASHINGTON — A coalition of rail and environmental groups has submitted comments to the Surface Transportation Board on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, asking the board to clarify whether “substantive filings” from stakeholders other than parties directly involved would be part of the review process.
The organizations — the Rail Passengers Association, Southern Rail Commission, Transportation for America, and the Environmental Law & Policy Center — also called for public hearings early in the board’s review schedule, saying they are essential to ensure testimony from passengers, rail-served communities, and other stakeholders are part of the decision-making process. Given the scale of the merger, the groups also say the merger requires careful consideration and oppose UP’s request for an expedited 345-day timeline rather than the 390-day schedule the board has proposed [see “UP and NS seek faster merger review …,” Trains.com, Oct. 30, 2025].
“Our members and the traveling public deserve a transparent process that fully considers the impacts on passenger rail service,” Rail Passengers Association CEO Jim Mathews said in a press release. “The Board must ensure that the voice of the public is heard in what would be the most consequential rail merger in U.S. history.”
The groups note the merger would have a major impact on rail passenger service. The two railroads host, all or in part, 25 of the 44 Amtrak state-supported and long-distance routes, accounting for more than 11.3 million passengers, or 63% of the ridership of such routes. They also would be involved in 33 of the 69 routes included in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program for new or expanded service.
The full filing, which includes data on the passenger routes that would be involved in the merger, is available here.
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