A controversial merger between Class 1 railroads Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern is back on the table today after the two companies filed an amended application to federal regulators, who had denied the original paperwork in January for being incomplete.The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) had dismissed the companies’ first attempt to merge, saying it lacked details such as an analysis of future competitive impacts and a summary of merger agreement disclosures covering issues such as conditions, contracts, and timing.In the two railroads’ vision, their merger would create “America’s first transcontinental railroad” and would drive growth, enable substantial cost savings for shippers, and strengthen the U.S. supply chain. Some of those cost savings would come because the merger would make rail significantly more competitive with long-haul trucking, taking approximately 2.1 million trucks off the road. Shifting freight from higher-cost trucks to low-cost rail will save shippers an estimated $3.5 billion annually – savings expected to flow through to consumer prices, making American goods more affordable, the partners said.Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern also said that their amended application increases the anticipated number of new premium intermodal lanes operating seven days a week from six to seven, with a new lane connecting Northern California and the Southeast. Additionally, the amended application confirms states that the merger will preserve customer access to competitive railroad alternatives and will have “no meaningful impact” on geographic competition or on the availability of independent routes.However, a collection of industry voices stands opposed to the proposal merger,…
