WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have asked the Surface Transportation Board to conduct a “rigorous and comprehensive evaluation” of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, expressing concern about its impact on agricultural producers and its possible impact on competition.
“Already highly consolidated, the current landscape of railroads as it exists today represents a fragile equilibrium with two in the west, two in the east, and two through the middle,” says the Oct. 30 letter, led by U.S. Sens. John Hoven (R-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) In all, the 18 signees include nine Republicans and nine Democrats, and represent 15 states. “As the STB reviews the proposed merger, it is important to consider how additional consolidation could alter this equilibrium.”
The letter — addressed to STB Chairman Patrick Fuchs, Vice Chair Mcihelle Schultz, and member Karen Hedlund — notes that farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers “already face limited competitive options for rail service. …. The STB should take ointo account the long-term implications for the movement of agricultural products across the domestic rail network, including potential impacts on shipping costs and market access.”
The letter also reminds the board members of the merger rules adopted by the STB in 2001 requiring mergers to enhance competition, and requiring substantive and demonstrable gains to the public interest to outweigh anticompetitive impacts. With the UP-NS merger to be the first considered under these rules, the senators say “it is essential that you establish a strong precedent and apply these standards in the way they were intended.”
The letter comes shortly after a UP-NS filing with the STB asking that the board trim 45 days from the proposed 390-day schedule to consider the merger, and as other railroads have mounted increased opposition to the deal [see “UP and NS seek faster merger review …,” Trains.com, Oct. 30, 2025]. Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and BNSF Railway, have all introduced web pages encouraging shippers to oppose the deal. A number of shipper groups endorsed the senators’ letter, according to a press release from Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
The US should just skip ahead until only one remains. Game of Trains. Only one can rule.
It would be nice if a Senator would ever do something besides commenting on something they know nothing about. Shut up unless you are actually going to do something to address the misguided government policies that have hurt the railroads and led to these massive consolidations due to lack of a national transportation policy.