Everyone should be paying attention to the potential merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. If this goes through, it could have significant consequences for Missourians.

Freight rail gets goods from point A to point B. Farmers need it to ship grain, and factories need it to send products all over the country. Transportation costs are a considerable expense, which is why competition is important when it comes to freight rail.

When multiple railroads compete for business, they keep prices reasonable and do better work. When there’s less competition, shippers don’t have as many choices and have less power to negotiate better deals. This matters in the real world.

Perhaps that’s why the American Farm Bureau has warned that combining railroads could hurt farmers and producers by giving them fewer options to choose from. This is a real concern here in Missouri, where many shippers already have limited choices for shipping their products. Even fewer choices could seriously raise costs.

The government agency that oversees railroads, the Surface Transportation Board (STB), already ruled that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern didn’t provide enough information in their first application. They recently refiled a new application, but it’s essentially status quo. It’s full of vague promises and not enough real protections for Missouri’s businesses, farms, and workers.

The government needs to make the railroad companies explain exactly how this deal will help – not hurt – Missouri’s economy. Too many jobs and businesses depend on trains for us to accept anything less than real answers