Forwarder relief as CP and CSX end rail merger talks

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Forwarders in north America are breathing a sigh of relief after exploratory merger talks between Canadian Pacific Railway and CSX were called off. Speaking at the FIATA World Congress last week, forwarders expressed concern that such a merger would reduce the number of services and could even lead to “another round of mega mergers”. While one forwarder correctly predicted that the deal was unlikely to happen, he added: “It is something to watch out for.” This article indicates that while talks between those two players are off, congestion problems have not been addressed. CP is said to be continuing to look for merger partners, which analysts believe could include Norfolk Southern or BNSF.