Norfolk Southern merger opposition meets rail network upgrades

Norfolk Southern merger opposition is building as the railroad pushes ahead with a New England network expansion, while also defending a proposed transcontinental combination that is now under closer review.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Double-stack intermodal train Chicago–Ayer launches

Norfolk Southern Corporation says it began an operational upgrade to its New England intermodal network today. The first double-stack intermodal train Chicago–Ayer left Chicago for Ayer, Massachusetts, formally kicking off the upgraded service route.

That launch hinges on trackage rights over CSX east of Albany. With those newly secured trackage rights over CSX infrastructure east of Albany, Norfolk Southern can bypass the Hoosac Tunnel, which the company describes as capacity-constrained on this corridor.

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The railroad is tying the change to efficiency. It projects that adopting double-stack technology on the Chicago-to-Ayer lane will lift line capacity by about 30%, and it presents that gain as a central part of its 2026 productivity strategy intended to counter rising labor expenses.

STB merger review draws objections from competitors

On a separate track, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) is facing a fresh round of filings tied to Norfolk Southern’s planned transcontinental combination with Union Pacific Pacific; the agency has also described its completeness-comment process in a recent Surface Transportation Board update.

This week, four competitors—BNSF, CPKC, CSX, and CN—filed formal objections, a dispute also reflected in coverage by Railway Supply.

Those railroads argue the merger application is “incomplete and fundamentally flawed.” Their submissions cite what they say is a lack of essential detail about the merger agreement and an analysis of competitive impacts they view as insufficient, including at major hubs such as Chicago. CPKC warned that creating a transcontinental giant would “permanently distort” the North American rail network.

Norfolk Southern has pushed back on the objections, calling them “procedural smoke screens” from competitors. The company maintains that a seamless, more cost-effective supply chain spanning 43 states would be a key benefit of the combination.

Late January decision and January 29 earnings date

Two near-term dates are likely to set the tone for what comes next. The STB is expected to rule by late January on whether to deem the merger application “complete,” a determination that decides whether the formal review starts or faces a significant delay.

Norfolk Southern will also report its Q4 2025 financial results on January 29, 2026, as noted in a Norfolk Southern investor relations announcement. Market observers are looking for whether early effects from new labor agreements and productivity initiatives show up in adjusted earnings per share.

Norfolk Southern shares were last quoted near $290, and analysts suggest the stock’s near-term direction may depend heavily on the regulatory outcome of the proposed merger.

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