Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have submitted the first portion of their responses to the Surface Transportation Board’s May 28 request for additional information to support their proposed merger.
The new filing addresses the STB’s questions regarding Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, Kansas City Terminal Railway and TTX Co., entities that are jointly owned with other Class I railroads, operated by independent management teams and governed by non-discrimination policies. Responses to the STB’s other requests for additional information will be submitted by July 27, the railroads said in a release.
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern said they do not control these companies and remain firm in their commitment not to control them post-merger. The merger application and supplemental filing provide the STB with options to implement this commitment, up to and including divestiture, according to the railroads.
In particular, regarding the TRRA, the railroads said the filing provides clear evidence that the other Class I railroads vocally opposing the merger are using the TRRA as a pawn in their efforts to stop or delay the merger. This includes failing to appear at a properly convened special meeting solely to discuss ways to reduce Union Pacific’s ownership in TRRA post-merger.
Only Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern board members attended the meeting called by TRRA’s corporate secretary, while members from BNSF, CSX and Canadian National did not show.
The STB accepted as complete the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application on May 28, a positive step toward creating America’s first transcontinental railroad. The railroads are committed to working constructively with the STB toward a mid-2027 completion.
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