CSX Corp. announced  that its proposed merger with New England’s Pan Am Railway’s Inc. (Pan Am) gained additional support from Maine Governor Janet Mills as well as four shippers, two municipalities, and one member of the New York State Assembly who all filed letters with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) enthusiastically backing the deal.

The transaction will provide significant benefits to shippers, passenger rail users, and local communities as CSX integrates Pan Am into its best-in-class network. In particular, as CSX connects more of New England with its existing 23-state network, which serves two thirds of the nation’s population, CSX’s expected investment in infrastructure upgrades will improve freight and passenger rail service and further enhance the environmental sustainability of rail transportation in New England by shifting truck traffic off the highway.

Governor Mills wrote to the STB of her strong support for the merger, saying, “This transaction has the potential to bring substantial benefits to Maine. The state of Maine relies on rail traffic to deliver goods and support our economy. If the transaction is approved, CSX has indicated that it will make upgrades to track and locomotives to provide improved service, extend positive train control on Amtrak’s Downeaster, and make other improvements to the rail network.  These changes would benefit Maine businesses and shippers that rely on freight rail to ship products and goods and positively impact passenger rail service.”

CSX filed an expanded application with the STB on July 1, 2021 as part of an agreement to acquire Pan Am Railways and is awaiting approval.

-via Press Release