A U.S. appeals court has upheld the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the CPKC merger, rejecting objections raised by several Chicago suburbs concerned about environmental effects. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

A U.S. appeals court has upheld the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the CPKC merger, rejecting objections raised by several Chicago suburbs concerned about environmental effects.

The ruling, issued on June 20, 2025, denied a legal challenge from the Coalition to Stop CPKC, a group representing DuPage County and towns including Elgin, Roselle, and Itasca. These communities feared traffic delays and safety issues tied to the merger.

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The coalition had demanded up to $9.5 billion in mitigation, such as rail separations and infrastructure upgrades in Elgin. After the STB approved the CPKC merger in March 2023, the group filed suit, claiming the board ignored localized environmental harm.

However, the three-judge panel found no basis to overturn the ruling. The court said the STB thoroughly reviewed public input and explained its findings within a reasonable scope of authority.

Court Supports STB’s Public Interest Justification for CPKC Merger

Judges acknowledged the coalition’s disagreement but emphasized their role is not to second-guess the agency’s informed decisions. Instead, courts must defer to expert regulators unless actions fall outside legal bounds.

The ruling cited a recent Supreme Court decision in the Uinta Basin Railway case. That precedent reinforced judicial restraint when evaluating agency decisions, especially when detailed reasoning is provided.

Chicago Suburbs Lose Bid to Challenge CPKC Merger Legally

Because the panel considered the case straightforward, it declined to publish a full opinion. This suggests the legal arguments lacked sufficient weight to merit detailed judicial review.

The panel included Judges Henderson, Rao, and Garcia, who represented appointments by three different U.S. presidents. As of now, neither the STB nor the coalition has issued a public response to the ruling.

Source: www.trains.com

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