WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today released an update on the status of 13 pending proceedings, with Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs indicating decisions are expected this month in four of the matters, with draft decisions to be presented in three others. All others should see action by May, according to the press release.
Among the items included are:
Meridian Speedway: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern in September expressed concerns over CPKC commitments regarding the Meridian Speedway, the joint CPKC-NS rail line between Shreveport, La., and Meridian, Miss. [See “Norfolk Southern claims Meridian Speedway service woes …,” Trains.com, Oct. 3, 2025]. Fuchs said he intends to offer a draft action for consideration this month to the board. This action falls under the board’s seven years of oversight of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. NS said in a December filing that it was still attempting to work out its differences with CPKC but disagreed with almost everything CPKC had told the board [see “NS and CPKC are trying to iron out …,” Dec. 12, 2025].
Tehachapi trackage rights: Union Pacific came to the board in April 2025 over its ability to reach an agreement with BNSF Railway over BNSF’s trackage rights on 68 miles of Tehachapi Pass between Mojave and Kern Junction, Calif. UP says BNSF’s rate is so low that UP is essentially subsidizing its competitor; BNSF says the UP proposal would increase its costs to the point of harming competition. [See “BNSF and Union Pacific at odds …,” April 21, 2025]. The board will settle the dispute; Fuchs expects to offer a draft for consideration by the board this month.
Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line: Norfolk Southern has essentially controlled the 36-mile railroad since 1982, but a 2018 antitrust suit by CSX led to the discovery that regulators had never approved that control. The STB ordered NS to file for control and last March determined the deal qualified as a significant transaction, requiring a more complete application [see “STB to take closer look …,” March 14, 2025]. That application was accepted in July 2025. CSX says the NS control keeps it from having direct access to the Virginia Port Authority’s Norfolk International Terminal. A decision is expected in April.
Among other cases covered are a request to allow abandonment of 40 miles of California’s Mendocino Railway for a trail; an effort by the city of Jersey City, N.J., to purchase 1.36 miles of railroad that Conrail seeks to abandon; and BNSF trackage rights on nine miles of Kansas City Southern/Union Pacific trackage in Lake Charles, La., a matter dating to 2016. The full release, with information on all the proceedings, is available here.
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