CHICAGO — In boardrooms and ballrooms featuring the elite of the North American freight rail industry, a big question is on the table.
Should Union Pacific, the Omaha-based Western railroad company, be allowed to acquire Norfolk Southern, the Atlanta-based Eastern railroad, and merge into the nation’s largest — and first truly transcontinental — railroad company?
The question has the potential to upend 20 years of status quo regarding how the nation’s economy moves around. And both sides argue the outcome could affect consumers’ pocketbooks…