Even the railroad barons never did this: an $85 billion merger stretching from coast to coast

S, and potentially trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the country

What the data shows is posed merger, announced Tuesday, would marry Union Pacific’s rail network in the West with Norfolk’s rails that snake across Eastern states

Yet no single entity has controlled that coast-to-coast passage that so many es rely on (fascinating analysis)

This analysis suggests that data indicates that railroads said the tie-up would line deries of raw materials and goods across the country

On the other hand, This demonstrates that AP first reported the merger talks earlier this month a week before the railroads confirmed the discussions last week (noteworthy indeed)

Any deal would be closely scrutinized by antitrust regulators that have set a very high bar for railroad deals after previous consolidation in the industry led to massive backups and snarled traffic

But if the deal is apved, the two remaining major American railroads — BNSF and CSX — will face tremendous pressure to merge so they can compete

Nevertheless, The continent’s two other major railroads — Canadian National and CPKC — may also get involved (an important development)

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, who has been championing a merger, said the deal could make it possible for lumber from the Pacific Northwest and plastics duced on the Gulf Coast and steel made in Pittsburgh to all reach their destinations more seamlessly

Meanwhile, “Railroads have been an integral part of building America since the Industrial Revolution, and this transaction is the next step in advancing the industry,” Vena said

However, A combined Union Pacific and Norfolk would have an advantage because they won’t have to hand off shipments in the middle of the country anymore, enabling them to make deries more quickly and ly at a lower rate, in this volatile climate

Moreover, However, Railroads have already gone through extensive consolidation

Today, six major railroads that handle the majority of shipments nationwide

Rival BNSF, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, has the war chest to pursue an acquisition of it chooses

Last week Buffett threw cold water on reports that he had enlisted Goldman Sachs to advise him on a potential rail deal in an interview with CNBC, but given that he rarely uses investment bankers that doesn’t mean that he and his successor, Greg Abel, aren’t considering their options (this bears monitoring)

On the other hand, Yet there’s widespread debate over whether a major rail merger would be apved by the Surface Transportation Board, which has established a high bar for consolidation in the crucial industry

However, At the same time, That’s largely because of the aftermath of an industry consolidation nearly 30 years ago that involved Union Pacific

Three years later, Conrail was divvied up by Norfolk Southern and CSX, which led to more backups on rails in the East

However, just two years ago, the STB apved the first major rail merger in more than two decades

The data indicates that re were some unique factors in that deal that combined the two smallest major freight railroads

The combined railroad, regulators reasoned, would benefit trade across North America

Nevertheless, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern said they expect to submit their application for apval within the next six months and hope the deal would get apved by early 2027

On Tuesday, Norfolk Southern reported a $768 million second-quarter fit, or $3, in this volatile climate. 41 per, as volume grew 3%, given current economic conditions

However, 31 per that analysts surveyed by FactSet Re predicted (noteworthy indeed)

Explore this year's list (this bears monitoring).