Abraham Lincoln’s vision of uniting the country by rail came to fruition a handful of years after his death. Now, Union Pacific (UP)—the company Lincoln created upon signing the Pacific Railway Act—once again has the chance to continue this legacy by incorporating Norfolk Southern’s (NS) rail system into its network to become the only coast to coast carrier. A network that originally bound the nation together by revolutionizing mobility, trade, commerce, and economic development could further strengthen energy supply chains by improving efficiency.
The acquisition would connect more than 50,000 route miles across 43 states and link approximately 100 ports. The energy sector will greatly benefit.
UP operates predominantly to the west of the Mississippi River, NS to the east. Merging the two would allow petroleum products and manufactured goods to move from production centers along the Gulf Coast directly to eastern markets and ports on a single rail line, eliminating costly and time-consuming handoffs.
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Kristen Walker is a policy analyst for the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, visit www.theamericanconsumer.org or follow on X @ConsumerPal.