Federal Regulators Seek More Details of Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern Merger

A combined network would span coast to coast, linking major metropolitan areas and roughly 100 U.S. ports.

A freight train travels through the desert in Salt Flat, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

Federal regulators have paused the review of Union Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern, a $85 billion deal that would create the United States’ first transcontinental freight railroad.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Thursday accepted the Class I railroads’ revised merger application but declined to set a procedural schedule. It is instead directing both companies to provide additional information on a range of issues.