US Surface Transportation Board

Rate Reform and Regulatory Reform Task Force Reports and Recommendations

The STB has published summaries of two task force reports: the Rate Reform Task Force issued recommendations in April 2019 for reforming railroad rate methodology, including simplified SAC tests, a new Incumbent Network Cost Analysis approach, and proposals for mandatory arbitration of small rate disputes; the Regulatory Reform Task Force issued a 90-day status report in May 2017 and held a stakeholder listening session in July 2017 pursuant to Executive Order 13,777. Several Rate Reform recommendations have progressed to formal rulemaking in Docket Nos. EP 755, EP 756, and EP 385 (Sub-No. 8), with final rules adopted in 2020.

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.