OMAHA, Neb. — The 6,692-page merger application that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted to federal regulators last week underscores the benefits of the first U.S. transcontinental merger, UP CEO Jim Vena says. Vena came to Union Pacific as CEO in August 2023 with a transcon merger on his to-do list — and has touted […]
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern currently have more than 2,300 locomotives in storage and anticipate, at least initially, a further reduction in motive-power needs if the railroads are allowed to merge, the railroads say in their application to the Surface Transportation Board. But the combined railroad would need more than 1,000 additional locomotives by year […]
Reactions to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger filing began collecting shortly after the 6,992-page, four-volume document was released early Friday, with most expressing skepticism about the benefits of the first transcontinental merger. Trade groups representing shippers, which had previously indicated concerns about the merger, have issued renewed statements of opposition. Chet Thompson, president and CEO […]
WASHINGTON — The Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application filed with the Surface Transportation Board on Friday attempts to explain away adverse effects on passenger trains by vague promises of future “targeted infrastructure enhancements,” but generally doesn’t outline what those might be. In one case, a combined UP-NS proposes adding nine daily freights to a single-track […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has clarified and stepped up enforcement of requirements that cross-border train crews demonstrate English proficiency, the Department of Transportation announced today (Dec. 19). The actions come after inspectors encountered Mexican crews at Texas gateways who appeared to have difficulty interpreting track bulletins and communicating safety requirements in English. In […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific misused confidential materials from ongoing negotiations in its most recent Surface Transportation Board filing on the ongoing UP-Metra dispute, Metra claims in a new regulatory filing. Metra’s Dec. 18 filing is the latest action in the dispute over terms of Metra commuter operations on three Chicago-area routes. It is in response […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF CEO Katie Farmer says the railroad’s initial review of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application filed today “does not change BNSF’s opposition to the proposed merger.” CPKC and Canadian National have also issued statements on the filing, with CN saying the application “falls well below both the 2001 and old […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern say their proposed transcontinental merger will take more than 2 million trucks off the road annually, boosting the combined system’s traffic by 1.4 million intermodal loads and 425,000 carloads. The nearly 12% growth projection is among the details included in the 6,692-page merger application the railroads filed […]
BNSF Railway and Union Pacific have filed lawsuits against North America’s largest producer of rail, arguing that Orion Steel’s Rocky Mountain Steel Mills broke long-term supply deals by refusing to ship more rail unless the railroads agree to price increases of more than 50%. The railroads say Rocky Mountain’s halt in rail shipments threatens safety […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern will file their merger application with federal regulators on Friday, the railroads said today. The document, which will be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, will allow the railroads to show how their combination will deliver economic benefits, enhance competition, and protect union jobs, the railroads said. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has announced plans to develop a 2,000-acre industrial park outside Houston that will feature 1,300 acres of rail-served land. The Mainline Texas Industrial Park is just west of Rosenberg, Texas, and about 40 miles southwest of downtown Houston. It will be bordered on one side by the main line of […]
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division will oppose the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger despite UP’s promises of lifetime job protection. “This debt-ridden tie-up won’t make rail more competitive with trucks as merger proponents claim,” BLET National President Mark Wallace said in a statement on Wednesday […]
