Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) file for transcontinental merger

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) and Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) filed an application with the Surface Transportation Board requesting approval to combine the two railroads, according to information from a company press release.

The companies entered into a merger agreement on July 29, 2025. The filing includes a 7,000-page application and 2,000 letters of support from stakeholders. Shareholders at both companies voted 99% in favor of the merger.

The proposed combination would connect 10,000 existing rail lanes from interline service into single-line service, eliminating handoffs between railroads. The companies stated the merger would eliminate an estimated 2,400 rail car and container handlings and 60,000 car-miles daily.

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said the merger would create “stronger, more connected freight rail” and strengthen the U.S. supply chain. Norfolk Southern President and CEO Mark George noted the combination would create a network with 50,000 route miles connecting 43 states and more than 100 ports.

The companies expect the combined railroad to convert an estimated 2 million truckloads of freight from road to rail annually. They also committed to protecting all union jobs, stating every employee with a union job at the time of merger will continue to have one, with an expected addition of approximately 900 net new union jobs by the third year following the merger.