The proposed UP–NS merger is raising nationwide concern. This massive and unprecedented merger threatens to leave America with fewer transportation choices, higher costs, service disruptions, and weaker economic competitiveness. A growing group of state and federal policy makers, along with railroads, unions, farmers, energy producers, and manufacturers, are urging the Administration to hit the brakes on this unnecessary merger.
Nationwide Pushback Signals Growing Alarm Over Risky UP-NS Rail Merger
Labor Unions
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen & Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division:
“The Teamsters Rail Conference represents nearly 20,000 Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern workers — over half of their unionized employees. These hardworking men and women make these railroads run. We cannot and will not support any agreement or merger that fails to safeguard their lives and livelihoods.”
Railroad Workers United:
“A number of shipper associations, rail passenger advocacy groups, unions, and environmental organizations are speaking out against further mergers in the rail industry. Railroad Workers United (RWU) is proud to join them in this fight and do what we can to thwart further consolidation and monopolization of our industry.”
Elected Officials
Bipartisan letter from 18 U.S. Senators:
“U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers are facing historic market losses as they strive to provide the highest quality, lowest-cost food supply in the world. They depend on reliable and competitive rail service to move their agricultural products to markets both domestic and international. Our producers already face limited competitive options for rail service. Further consolidation could compound these challenges by reducing routing flexibility, constraining network fluidity, increasing market power, and limiting access for both producers and processors.”
Letter from 47 GOP members of Congress:
“Some of us are already hearing initial concerns about the UP-NS application and its lack of serious and meaningful commitments to enhance competition and protect against service meltdowns. In light of this, the Board must consider with extreme care the potential risks posed by this transaction to determine whether it meets the public interest test.”
Letter from 9 Republican Attorneys General:
“An America First economy will not work if high internal shipping costs kneecap American companies’ ability to compete with foreign manufacturers. The downstream impact of the merger poses significant risk not just for our industrial base but also our agricultural producers. Ultimately, then, this merger could compromise our national security.”
Letter from 10 Agriculture Secretaries:
“Farm country is very familiar with limited leverage over Class I railroads. Over generations, farm families and agribusinesses have experienced rail consolidation, which resulted in fewer choices and increased shipper vulnerability where competitive alternatives are limited.”
Letter from 58 legislative leaders in 24 states:
“If approved, the combined UP-NS system would control nearly 45 percent of all U.S. rail tonnage and hold dominant market share in critical commodity sectors including chemicals, metals, lumber, motor vehicles and equipment, crushed stone, sand and gravel, food and kindred products, and iron and steel scrap. These commodities directly affect the cost of consumer goods, housing, energy, and food — core expenses for American families and small businesses. Reduced competition in these areas will inevitably lead to higher prices and fewer choices.”
Key Industries
Rail Customer Coalition, which includes 29 trade associations representing agricultural, energy, and manufacturing industries:
“The RCC strongly believes that more, not less, competition in the rail industry is essential to the Administration’s economic agenda.”
American Farm Bureau Federation:
“The long-term effect of a merger could be an increase in food prices for consumers as expenses go up throughout the food supply chain. For these reasons, the American Farm Bureau Federation opposes the merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.”
Daren Coppock, President & CEO, Agricultural Retailers Association:
“Farmers and ag retailers operate on razor-thin margins, so even a small, artificial cost increase can have a big impact. When rail service is dominated by just a few players, they hold the power to set terms that work for them—not for the shippers and customers who depend on rail to move agricultural commodities, fertilizer, ag chemicals, fuel, and other essential supplies. That imbalance drives up costs and threatens the reliability of our entire supply chain.”
Chris Greissing, President, Essential Minerals Association:
“Any approval of the proposed rail merger must include strong, enforceable protections for captive shippers. The minerals industry depends on reliable, competitive rail service to supply the minerals that support American manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy security. Without safeguards, this merger risks further consolidation of market power in the freight rail network at the expense of industries that have no practical alternatives.”
Chet Thompson, President & CEO of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers:
“Unfortunately, decades of bad service and price increases in the wake of freight rail consolidation leave us and other carload shippers highly skeptical of this merger. Unless the Surface Transportation Board can demonstrate conclusively that it will enhance competition across all modes of transport — especially between railroads — this merger application should be denied.”
Chris Jahn, President & CEO of the American Chemistry Council:
“History has shown that mergers slash service and shift costs onto customers. The UP–NS merger risks more of the same. President Trump has made real progress rebuilding American manufacturing. Let’s not let a monopoly undo it.”
Other Railroads
BNSF Railway:
“No customer is asking for a UP-NS merger to happen. It’s driven by Wall Street on the promise of a big shareholder payout. BNSF does not believe a merger is necessary at this time, when we can deliver immediate benefits to our customers while preserving competition.”
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC):
“The UP-NS mega-merger is unnecessary and will dominate rail transportation markets, reducing rail customer optionality in ways that cannot be undone.”
Transportation Stakeholders
Rail Passengers Association:
“Our members and the traveling public deserve a transparent process that fully considers the impacts on passenger rail service. The Board must ensure that the voice of the public is heard in what would be the most consequential rail merger in U.S. history.”
North American Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE):
“Intermodal rail expansion is and will be critical to support port and terminal development on a regional basis and will impact a huge percentage of the businesses operating through the marine terminal system. We are greatly concerned as to whether a reduction of two of the four major remaining competitors offering intermodal rail service will serve to benefit our industry.”
Economists
Tomas Philipson, former acting chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Trump and University of Chicago public policy chair:
“The American economy has thrived for more than two centuries because our markets are open, competitive and disciplined by consumer choice. When you remove that discipline — when a handful of big players carve up an industry — you don’t get capitalism; you get cartelization. That’s exactly what this merger threatens to bring to America’s rail system.”
Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Workers, former Trump adviser and Fox News commentator:
“When two giants merge and start running the whole show, that’s not capitalism anymore. That’s called a monopoly, which usually leads to consumers paying more for less.”