The largest railroad merger in U.S. history was announced less than three months ago, and opposition has begun.

On July 29, Union Pacific Corp. announced it had agreed to buy Norfolk Southern Corp. in a deal valued at $85 billion. If the shareholders of the two companies vote to approve the acquisition, Union Pacific will file paperwork with the Surface Transportation Board for its approval. Union Pacific says the STB review could take 16 months, after which it will complete the acquisition and merge the two railroads under the Union Pacific name.

While there is support from labor unions and some rail users, other users oppose the transaction. BNSF Railway, Union Pacific's primary competitor, has begun an aggressive campaign to prevent the acquisition.

The proposed $85 billion acquisiti

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