Regulators to announce decision in $31B freight rail merger

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The first major railroad merger since the 1990s could be approved Wednesday when federal regulators announce their decision on Canadian Pacific’s $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has been reviewing the deal since it was agreed to back in 2021. The deal was nearly derailed in 2021 when Canadian National offered $33.6 billion and Kansas City Southern agreed to that offer. But that competing deal fell apart after the Surface Transportation Board rejected part of Canadian National’s acquisition plan. Regulators said in a report earlier this year the only major impact of the deal would more noise in places where train traffic is expected to increase significantly.