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STB Authorizes Green Eagle Railroad 1.3-Mile Line in Maverick County, TX

The Surface Transportation Board authorized Green Eagle Railroad to construct and operate an approximately 1.3-mile rail line in Eagle Pass and Maverick County, Texas, as part of the Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge project. The line will extend from the U.S.-Mexico border to connect with Union Pacific Railroad near UP's Eagle Pass Subdivision, routing rail and commercial motor vehicle traffic around the urban center of Eagle Pass. The Board approved the Southern Rail Alternative route subject to environmental mitigation conditions, and GER must file project status reports, including updates on negotiations with UP and BNSF, in six months and annually thereafter.

STB Press Releases Covering Rail Line, Merger Updates

The Surface Transportation Board published a series of press releases covering multiple regulatory matters from November 2025 through April 2026. Key items include a Draft Environmental Assessment for a proposed rail line in Webb County, Texas; a unanimous decision proposing comprehensive permitting reform to streamline processes and lower infrastructure costs; and a Final Environmental Assessment for a six-mile rail line in Mesa, Arizona by Union Pacific. The Board also addressed the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application, finding it incomplete in January 2026, and proposed repealing regulations at 49 C.F.R. Part 1144 governing reciprocal switching, through routes, and through rates.

Draft Environmental Assessment for 2.6-Mile Rail Line in Webb County, TX

The Surface Transportation Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has issued a Draft Environmental Assessment for a proposed 2.6-mile rail line in Webb County, Texas that would connect to the existing Union Pacific Railroad mainline and serve the Gateway Industrial Park near the intersection of I-35 and SH-255 north of Laredo. The assessment analyzes potential environmental and historic impacts and is open for public comment through May 11, 2026. Parties wishing to participate in the proceeding must submit comments by that date.

Private Equity Transportation M&A: $11B Georgia Highway, Rail Deals

Akin Gump's annual private equity transportation sector review covers M&A activity in 2025, a year marked by trade uncertainty and cautious deal-making. Key transactions include the $11 billion Georgia SR 400 greenfield P3 highway project — the largest in U.S. history — funded in part by a $3.9 billion TIFIA loan and $3.4 billion Private Activity Bond issuance. Rail consolidation accelerated with the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, Canadian National's Iowa Northern purchase, and a GATX-Brookfield joint venture paying $4.4 billion for 105,000 Wells Fargo railcars. The article also covers Jones Act shipping investment, P3 airport development, and autonomous vehicle tech M&A as forward-looking themes.