Class 1 rail operator Norfolk Southern is advancing its fleet modernization plan by adding 40 new locomotives, saying they will provide fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, enhanced reliability, and crew comfort.

The engines from Wabtec mark the railroad’s first new locomotive purchase since 2022, and are expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026.

According to Norfolk Southern, the model ES44AC locomotives add reliability by using the newest generation of control systems, which enable real-time remote diagnostics and live operational views, like an IT department accessing a computer screen. This innovation will help reduce delays by spotting potential issues before they become larger problems.

With about 1,600 high-horsepower locomotives currently active, this investment ensures Norfolk Southern remains highly competitive and continues delivering on customer goals efficiently, the company said.

A proposed merger between Class 1 railroads Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern is on pause after federal transportation regulators ruled that the companies’ application was incomplete, and instructed them to decide by February 17 if they plan to refile.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) said Friday night that “the UP-NS major merger application submitted on December 19, 2025, is incomplete because it does not contain certain information required by the Board’s regulations. Under the law, the Board therefore must reject the application. This decision is solely on the incompleteness of the December 19 application and should not be read as an indication of how the Board might ultimately assess any future revised application.”

Rail sector analysts said they expected Union Pacific to “move swiftly” to make necessary changes and refile its application. According to TD Cowen, the missing details included an analysis of future competitive impacts and a summary of merger agreement disclosures covering issues such as conditions, contracts, and timing. Once the updated application is filed, the STB should issue its final decision in 2027, the firm said.

In the meantime, several voices in the rail industry continued their opposition to the deal, applauding the regulators’ move to delay the deal, and saying they hoped the second version of the application would meet the same fate.

In a statement, shippers trade group the American Chemistry Council (ACC) lauded the STB’s decision, saying the merger would concentrate too much power in a single company. “Decades of experience make one thing clear: excessive consolidation in freight rail drives up costs, erodes service, and undermines the resilience of America’s supply chain. When competition shrinks, affordability suffers. U.S. manufacturers, farmers, energy producers—and ultimately consumers—simply cannot absorb another merger that tightens the grip of a few dominant railroads and leaves shippers with nowhere else to turn,” the ACC said.

Neither Union Pacific nor Norfolk Southern have issued public statements about the decision.