UP and NS merger application set for April 30 refiling

Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) have told the US Surface Transportation Board (STB) that the UP and NS merger application will be submitted again after the board rejected their first filing earlier this year.

In a letter of intent submitted on February 17, the two Class 1 freight railways said they expect to refile on April 30. At the same time, the letter was filed by the deadline the STB set when it rejected UP and NS’s initial merger application in January.

Why the STB rejected the UP and NS merger application?

UP and NS entered into a merger agreement on July 29 2025. They later filed an initial 6700-page application with the STB on December 19, describing the proposed transaction as an “end-to-end combination [that] will enhance competition and deliver broad public benefits.”

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The STB rejected the application in a unanimous decision on January 16, saying it did not include certain information required by the board’s regulations, as outlined by the regulator in its release on the decision from the Surface Transportation Board. In addition, the board said the missing material included future market projections showing the combined effects of merger-related growth, diversions, and merger-influenced and other changes to market conditions that applicants anticipate.

Union Pacific Norfolk Southern merger timeline and refiling plans

In a statement provided to IRJ’s sister publication Railway Age, Kristen South, UP senior director – corporate communications and media relations, said the railway has notified the STB “that we intend to refile our merger application with NS and remain fully committed to addressing their request for additional information.”

Still, the Union Pacific Norfolk Southern merger, if approved, would create what the companies describe as the first transcontinental railway in the United States, linking the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

End-to-end combination claims and projected shift to rail

“America’s first transcontinental railroad is supported by more than 2000 stakeholders who understand how this end-to-end combination will enhance competition and deliver broad public benefits by shifting an estimated 2 million truckloads from the highway to rail, protecting union jobs and driving substantial cost savings,” South says, echoing points also discussed in coverage from Railway Supply.

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