Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday joined Nebraska business leaders in backing the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railway, as the two railroads filed an amended application with federal regulators.
The push adds political support to a deal that would bring together Omaha-based Union Pacific and Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern, combining the largest and smallest of the country’s six major freight railroads. Pillen’s support matters in Nebraska because Union Pacific is based in Omaha, and the company’s future is tied closely to the state’s business community.
The amended filing moves the merger deeper into the regulatory review process, but it also underscores how much ground the railroads still need to cover. A combination of this size would reshape the freight rail map, yet it remains subject to federal scrutiny and the objections that typically follow a deal involving two of the industry’s most important carriers.
For now, the clearest signal is that the railroads are pressing ahead and Nebraska’s governor is urging them on. Whether that momentum is enough to carry a merger joining the biggest and smallest of the nation’s six major freight railroads through regulators will be the test ahead.