Some transportation groups are skeptical and some ag groups are seeking more information about the implications of a planned merger between rail rivals Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.

DTN reported both companies’ boards of directors unanimously agreed to a deal July 29 in which Union Pacific will acquire Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, resulting in a combined enterprise worth $250 billion.

If approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board, the merger would create the first intercontinental railroad in the U.S., linking Norfolk Southern’s 19,500-mile network in 22 western states to Union Pacific’s nearly 33,000 miles in 23 western states.

Described as potentially the largest such buyout in American rail history, the acquisition would create a rail line that spans more than 50

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