NSC News & Events

Norfolk Southern has appointed Brian Barr as COO. Barr has been with Norfolk Southern for two years leading the Mechanical department. As COO, he will leverage more than 28 years of experience, including more than a decade leading transportation teams in the east, to oversee Norfolk Southern's railway operations, including safety, transportation, network planning and operations, engineering and equipment maintenance. Brian assumes the role effective June 1, following the departure decision of John Orr from the Executive Vice President and COO role. Orr will remain employed as a special advisor to the Chair of the Board through June 30, at which time his employment will terminate, and he will retire from the company effective July 1. To support continuity and the successful closing of the Union Pacific merger, and following his retirement, Orr will continue as a special advisor to the Chair of the Board through the earlier of the merger closing or June 1, 2027.

Olivier Chouc, Executive Vice-President and Chief Legal Officer, CN said, "CN (CNI) commends the Surface Transportation Board's for its decision to freeze the merger review and order Union Pacific (UNP) and Norfolk Southern (NSC) to provide substantial additional information. This confirms what CN and many stakeholders have said all along: UP and NS still have not submitted a credible case to support their proposed merger. As the Board cautions, the Applicants' 'supplemental filing' in July must present a 'prima facie case,' which means a case that meets the public interest standard at first glance. That burden belongs to UP and NS alone. It is not the job of public officials and stakeholders to fill the gaps in the Applicants' case. The process should not move forward before Applicants' "prima facie" showing has been made. The Board gave a clear roadmap earlier this year, but UP and NS continue to leave major gaps-which the STB finds 'concerning in their frequency and magnitude'-in their amended application, including unresolved competitive harms, inadequate market share analyses, and the absence of meaningful measures that would enhance competition as required under the STB's heightened merger rules. The STB agrees with CN that the amended application 'lacks clarity and detail' and does not afford parties a meaningful opportunity to comment on the merits of the merger. The STB's latest action reinforces that the Applicants have still failed to provide the information necessary for regulators, shippers, labor groups, and other stakeholders to fully assess the competitive and operational impacts of the proposed merger. The Applicants have not done their homework, and they cannot expect anyone else to bail them out. The STB's request for additional information underscores that the Applicants have failed to meet the rigorous standards required for a merger that would reshape the American rail network and concentrate control over approximately 40% of U.S. freight rail traffic in one railroad. Indeed, the STB warned that the 'real-world consequences' of a merger like this 'cannot be ignored, assumed away, or overlooked based on vague intentions or promises.' The Board already told the Applicants what was missing. Instead of fixing the gaps in their case, UP and NS largely recycled the same deficient arguments and inadequate analyses. CN from the beginning has emphasized that the heightened merger rules require applicants to demonstrate real competitive enhancements and clear public benefits. UP and NS have failed to meet that standard. At every stage of this process, the record continues to show an application full of holes, unsupported assumptions, and remedies that fall far short of what is required for a major merger between Class Is. Applicants need to take this process seriously, and so far, they have not done so. CN continues to believe the amended application for the proposed merger would reduce competitive rail options for shippers, increase concentration across key freight corridors, and create significant downstream risks for the supply chains. The Applicants' proposed remedies remain narrow, temporary, and insufficient to offset the merger's competitive harms. As the Board recognized today, their heavily promoted Committed Gateway Pricing program applies to only a tiny fraction of rail traffic and, according to the Applicants' own evidence, may leave many shippers worse off with higher rail shipping costs. CN appreciates the STB's continued commitment to a thorough and transparent review process and remains confident the Board will hold the Applicants to the full requirements of the law and the public-interest standard. CN looks forward to reviewing the supplemental information that Applicants have been required to provide."

Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) and Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) "applauded" the Surface Transportation Board's decision to accept their merger application, calling it "an important step toward a reinvigorated, more competitive U.S. railroad industry." The companies acknowledged the STB's request for additional information on their amended merger application, reiterating their commitment to work constructively with the STB. "We are confident this merger will deliver more reliable and lower-cost transportation options for American businesses," said Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena. "We submitted a comprehensive, data-driven application backed by a detailed plan for seamless integration. We look forward to the opportunity to show the facts and demonstrate the benefits for our customers, employees and America." The process now moves into the merits-based review, during which the STB's procedures recognize the agency may request additional information. In fact, in a previous merger transaction for a Class I railroad, the STB paused the procedural schedule after acceptance to obtain supplemental information about the transaction before later approving the merger. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern will continue working closely with the STB to provide the requested information and further strengthen the record. Under the governing statute, the STB has 12 months from the date it publishes its acceptance to complete its evidentiary proceedings, providing a clear and defined path forward regardless of the timing of individual steps.