UP, NS file supplemental info with STB, offer 'enhanced' shipper protections
Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway met the Surface Transportation Board's July 27 deadline to submit supplemental information to support the Class Is' revised merger application.
The STB accepted UP-NS' revised merger application on May 28, with a caveat that the railroads submit further information for the board to review. The railroads submitted the first portion of required supplemental information on July 7. Yesterday's submission of supplemental information also included four new or expanded commitments, UP and NS officials said in a joint press release. If the $85 billion transaction is approved by the STB, UP-NS is promising new competitive opportunities for committed gateway pricing, expanded customer protections for competitive Class I access, new service level protections and stronger oversight of post-merger benefits. "In a previous filing on July 7, the companies reaffirmed they have no interest in controlling the jointly owned Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA), Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCT) or TTX Company and provided options for implementing that commitment," said UP-NS officials. "Union Pacific’s new binding agreement with CN directly resolves the TRRA and KCT ownership questions by transferring Norfolk Southern’s interests to CN."