Merger Not on Track

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Rail companies and their customers are lining up this week against the planned merger between Canadian National Railway Co. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., a union that would create the largest rail company in North America.

"The mere existence of this proposal at this time places the future of the American rail industry in serious jeopardy," said Rob Gould, spokesman for Richmond-based CSX Corp., a competing rail company embroiled in its own problems as a result of a recent merger.

"It is coming arguably at the worst possible time, given the extremely unstable state of the industry," he added.

The national Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that must approve the merger, is holding four …