BNSF Railway filed a motion asking regulators to deny the proposed $71.5 billion merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, saying the two parties did not prove that the merger is in the public interest.
"It is anti-competitive, unnecessary to secure any achievable benefits, and will hurt farmers, industrial shippers, rail workers, and consumers," said BNSF, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway, in a filing to the Surface Transportation Board, the economic regulator overseeing the railroads.
The cascading effects of the merged entity, an industry goliath, could also result in decreasing the investment incentives of other railroads. "The Board should deny the merger now," BNSF said.
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have said that a combination of the two companies would provide faster, more reliable service.
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