OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Regulators filed an update this week on the UP-Norfolk Southern merger, setting a timeline for proceedings that pushes a final decision into the second quarter of 2027.
In a decision filed Tuesday, the Surface Transportation Board acknowledged receipt of full applications and supplements and lifted the “pause” put in place in May. The decision also amended the timeline for the merger, set deadlines for the process ahead that push last steps into late May 2027 – meaning Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern aren’t getting the expedited resolution they were hoping for.
Competing companies BNSF Railway, CSX Rail, Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad and industry organizations like the Freight Rail Customer Alliance and the National Grain and Feed Association requested the STB “adopt the longest evidentiary period permitted by law,” which would be 395 days. They also asked for an additional filing periods come after any public comment hearing…