Comment EI-34296
Received or sent (printed as 9/2/2026)
I strongly oppose the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger because of the potential risks it could create for Forest Park residents, businesses, and the local economy. My biggest concern is the increased transportation of hazardous materials through our community. Even a small increase in hazardous-material shipments creates additional risk of derailments, spills, fires, or toxic releases near homes and the community. The Board should carefully evaluate these risks, emergency-response capabilities, evacuation plans, and the condition of railroad infrastructure before approving the merger. I am also concerned about the expected increase in train traffic. More trains could mean more frequent and longer railroad-crossing blockages, creating traffic congestion and delaying residents, employees, deliveries, police, fire, and emergency medical services. These delays could discourage people from visiting Forest Park businesses, reduce economic activity, and make our community less attractive to future investment. The merger could also increase diesel emissions, noise, idling, and other environmental impacts. The City has indicated that air-quality and noise thresholds could be exceeded. Residents should not have to accept greater pollution, noise, and safety risks for the benefit of a corporate merger. The Board should also consider infrastructure capacity and maintenance, crossing safety, emergency preparedness, property values, future increases in rail traffic, and the cost to taxpayers of addressing these impacts. Finally, combining two major railroads raises serious concerns about a monopoly. I urge the Surface Transportation Board to deny this merger unless the significant safety, environmental, transportation, economic, and competition concerns affecting Forest Park can be fully addressed with strong, enforceable protections and funding. Forest Park deserves to be safe, accessible, economically strong, and protected from unnecessary risks.
Submitted by: Summer Waters · Forest Park · Forest Park, GA
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-36873/comment/EI-34296 · back to the docket sheet