This is a guest opinion column
Ask anyone in Trussville what a blocked railroad crossing means, and you won’t hear about freight efficiency or national logistics. You’ll hear about missed school pickups, delayed commutes, businesses cut off from customers and, most importantly, the fear that an ambulance or fire truck could lose precious minutes trying to reach someone in need. Those same concerns are shared in communities all across the state of Alabama.
That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern deserves far more than a discussion about corporate efficiencies. The Surface Transportation Board is not charged with deciding whether this merger benefits two railroad companies. Rather, its responsibility is to determine whether the merger serves the public interest. For Alabama communities, that determination should begin with a focus on public safety…