Greater risk of toxic derailments if $85bn railroad merger is approved, warn unions

Source: The Guardian

Mon 25 Aug 2025 07.00 EDT
Last modified on Mon 25 Aug 2025 07.02 EDT


A proposed mega-merger of two of the largest railroad companies in the US will hurt jobs, raise costs for consumers and increase the risk of more catastrophic train crashes, according to workers and unions.

Union Pacific proposed a $85bn deal to buy Norfolk Southern last month, which would create the first transcontinental railroad network in the US.

As executives at Union Pacific seek approval from federal regulators the Surface Transportation Board, union leaders warn the deal heightens fears around safety – two years after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, resulted in the release of plumes of toxic chemicals.

“The entirety of the workers” is against the merger, claimed John Samuelsen, the president of the Transport Workers Union. “We’re hoping that the stakeholders in DC that are making determinations are going to listen and understand that when something like East Palestine happens, the chances of that happening under a mammothly merged new entity become greater and greater,” he said.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/25/union-pacific-norfolk-southern-railroad-merger