Coalition Weighs in on STB's Review of Proposed UP, NS Merger

For Immediate Release (25-15)

November 13, 2025

Contact: Joe Aiello ([email protected])

Rail and Public Interest Groups Call for Full Public Participation in Review of Proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern Merger

Washington, D.C. — The Rail Passengers Association, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the Southern Rail Commission, and Transportation for America submitted joint comments to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) regarding the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) [Docket umber FD 36873]. The coalition emphasized the unprecedented scale of the transaction and urged the Board to ensure robust public participation in its review.

The proposed UP–NS merger would be the largest in U.S. rail history, with far‑reaching implications for passenger rail service nationwide. A review of the two railroads’ networks reveals the potential impact:

• The UP and NS networks hosted 25 of 44 total Amtrak State-Supported and Long-Distance routes, or 57 percent;
• These 25 Amtrak routes carried more than 11.3 million passengers in 2024, or 63 percent of all Amtrak State-Supported and Long-Distance ridership; and
• Of the 69 routes selected by the Federal Railroad Administration to be part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program, 33 currently travel or would travel over UP or NS trackage – just short of 48 percent.

[For additional details on Amtrak routes, ridership, and host railroad delays, see “Appendix A” of the filing.]

Given this overview, the organizations stressed that the merger could affect tens of millions of intercity and regional rail passengers, along with hundreds of communities across the country. They called on the STB to clarify whether substantive filings from non‑party stakeholders will be accepted under the current procedural schedule, noting that the Board’s regulations require consideration of both potential benefits and harms, including impacts on essential services.

The groups also urged the Board to hold public hearings early in the process, arguing that they are essential to ensure that testimony from passengers, Amtrak- and commuter-served communities, and other stakeholders informs the Board’s final decision.

Finally, the organizations voiced support for the 390‑day review schedule outlined by the Board, opposing Union Pacific’s request for an expedited timeline. They emphasized that the scale and consequences of this merger demand careful, deliberate evaluation.

“Our members and the traveling public deserve a transparent process that fully considers the impacts on passenger rail service,” said Jim Mathews, President & CEO of Rail Passengers. “The Board must ensure that the voice of the public is heard in what would be the most consequential rail merger in U.S. history.”

With yesterday's reopening of the federal government after the long shutdown, the STB is expected to resume official deliberations of the proposed merger review shortly.

[You can read the full filing here]

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About the Rail Passengers Association: with 127,000 members, donors, and supporters, the non-profit Rail Passengers Association is the oldest and largest national organization serving as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the U.S. Our mission is to improve and expand conventional intercity and regional passenger train services, support higher speed rail initiatives, increase connectivity among all forms of transportation, and ensure safety for our country's trains and passengers. All of this makes communities safer, more accessible, and more productive, improving the lives of everyone who lives, works, and plays in towns all across America.