Norfolk Southern CEO says railroad must focus on today and tomorrow

Norfolk Southern’s CEO says the railroad is prioritizing both improving current service and pursuing a merger with Union Pacific.

What happened

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Why it matters

Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Mark George says the railroad remains focused on improving its service while continuing to advance the proposed merger with Union Pacific, and that it can and must do both simultaneously.

“From the outset of our announcement to merge strengths with Union Pacific Railroad (NYSE: UNP), we have been clear: Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) is not singularly focused on closing a transaction,” George wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday.

“There is no trade-off between evaluating long-term opportunities to strengthen the freight rail network and executing at a high level for customers today. Responsible leadership requires both,” George wrote. “We operate NS as a standalone railroad that competes and wins in today’s market, because that’s what our customers and employees expect and deserve. We also have to think about what will unlock their ability to tap a more competitive rail ecosystem.”

This news brief is based on reporting published by FreightWaves on 2026-06-24. The original report is linked below.