Looking for something to do over the Christmas holiday? The Surface Transportation Board has a suggestion.

The rail regulator announced that comments on the completeness of that 7,000-page application are due by Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.

Because the application is classified as a major transaction under Board regulations, it must include substantial supporting information (detailed in the Board’s regulations at 49 C.F.R. part 1180).

We’ll help you start. While UP (NYSE: UNP) is acquiring NS (NYSE: NSC) for $85 billion, the STB is calling the transaction a merger.

The railroads have an opportunity to respond to the comments until Jan. 2. Should the board accept the application, comments on the merger itself will be solicited at a later date.

For more information and to see the application, the board has posted a UP-NS Merger Resources Page.

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Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Related coverage:

UP, NS: Merger will create 10,000 single-line service lanes, shift 105k truckloads to rail

BNSF CEO: Rail merger still a “significant threat” to economy, consumers

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern file historic rail merger application

‘Application day’ nears for UP-NS rail merger

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