Frequently Asked Questions

• This combination is a win for the American economy; it's a win for our customers; it’s a win for the workforce and it’s a win for shareholders.
• Joining Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern will create America’s first transcontinental railroad, seamlessly connecting over 50,000 route miles across 43 states from the East Coast to the West Coast, linking approximately 100 ports and nearly every corner of North America. This combination will transform the U.S. supply chain, unleash the industrial strength of American manufacturing and create new sources of economic growth, safe, resilient communities and workforce opportunity that preserves union jobs.
• The combination will significantly enhance service for customers, as we expect the combination will improve transit times, removing several days by eliminating car touches and interchanges where rail cars are handed off.  
• By creating new, more cost-effective options for shippers, including new lanes, the transcontinental railroad will be a more truck-competitive solution and decrease highway congestion, reducing wear-and-tear on taxpayer-funded roads.
• The combination will also deliver significant value to Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern shareholders, including realizing more than $30 billion of potential value creation through the expected achievement of approximately $2.75 billion in annualized synergy opportunity.

• We believe this transaction will enhance competition by expanding U.S. rail’s ability to compete from coast to coast and deliver a stronger, more reliable, more efficient transcontinental service option. This will also allow U.S. rail to more effectively compete with Canadian railroads to win back U.S. freight volume and American jobs.
• We also expect the combination will lower supply chain costs for customers, businesses and manufacturers. As rail becomes a faster, more efficient, more reliable and more accessible way to ship goods, we expect prices to fall for businesses and consumers nationwide.
• Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are focused on continuing to innovate in ways that support growth, benefit customers and enhance rail’s safety and competitiveness.
• The companies expect to file their application with the STB within 6 months, in which the companies will describe how the combined rail network will provide safer, faster and more reliable service and increased competition to a broad range of stakeholders.
• The companies are targeting closing the transaction by early 2027.

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• Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern union employees – including train crew, mechanical and engineering – will have job opportunities with the combined company. Beyond job security, expected rail volume growth will drive additional employment opportunities in towns and cities across the combined rail network. Non-union workers will have opportunities to grow as part of a larger, combined enterprise.
• Our intent is to grow our business to create additional employment opportunities for craft professionals of both companies. To the extent operations productivity initiatives result in the need for fewer craft employees in certain locations, we intend to manage workforce levels by attrition.
• Like any combination of this kind, we expect some consolidation of overlapping functions in corporate roles following closing. While the exact plans for how we will bring our workforces together will be determined through the integration planning process, we are committed to taking care of the people who have been part of the success of these railroads and rewarding their continued roles throughout the approval process.  

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• We expect the combination will lower costs for customers, businesses and manufacturers, and will improve transit times removing several days by eliminating car touches and interchanges where rail cars are handed off.
• The combination will widen rail’s cost per ton mile advantage over trucking.
  
  • A more truck-competitive solution, the transaction provides opportunity to convert freight traffic to lower-cost rail transportation, ensuring consistent performance that lowers customer inventory costs and saves on equipment costs due to reduced car cycle times.
• In addition, new routes will unlock rail options for shippers in regions where railroad connections are less efficient, such as the Ohio Valley and on both sides the Mississippi River (“Watershed” markets), creating a more accessible, sustainable and lower-cost supply chain for manufacturers and consumers.
• As rail becomes a faster, more efficient, more reliable and more accessible way to ship goods, we expect prices to fall for businesses and consumers nationwide.

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• Upon the transaction’s closing, the combined company will be called Union Pacific and led by Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena.

• The combined company will be headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Atlanta, Georgia will continue to be a core location for the combined organization in the long-term with a focus on technology, operations and innovation, among other priorities.

• This is the first step in bringing our companies together. There are many decisions we will need to make about integration, which cannot begin until after regulatory approval and closing.  
• What we can say is that this is an end-to-end combination – there is very little overlap in Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern locations, and we expect we will need the strength of both companies’ footprints as we create America’s first transcontinental railroad.
• As we review our combined footprint, our goal is to find opportunities to enhance efficiency while maintaining jobs and work locations.  

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• Both companies share a rich history of philanthropy and a strong commitment to giving back to the communities we serve, and we remain committed to this endeavor.  
• We have always believed that communities give us a social license to operate among them. Our commitments to support the communities we serve are unwavering.
• Together, we plan to build on this legacy by investing in areas, including education, workforce development and community resilience, to create lasting opportunities that strengthen the communities across our network. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern invested $300 million in philanthropic giving from 2020 to 2025, supporting workforce development, safety initiatives, and vibrant spaces where people want to live and work.
• Additionally, we are dedicated to honoring and continuing Norfolk Southern’s efforts in East Palestine, ensuring sustained support for recovery initiatives, community health and long-term economic development in the region.