Not Another Houston

Stop the Rail Merger Putting Our Neighborhoods at Risk

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern want to create the largest freight railroad in North American history. For Houston’s East End and Fifth Ward, that means more trains, longer trains, and more blocked crossings in communities already cut off from schools, emergency services, and each other.

What’s Happening

Our Mission

We mobilize residents in Houston’s East End to demand fair treatment in rail policy and safeguard community health.

A long freight train with rusted, weathered railcars stretches across a flat Houston landscape, the tracks cutting a hard diagonal through a dense East End neighborhood of modest industrial buildings and small homes. Overhead, hazy late-afternoon light filters through thin clouds, creating soft, diffused illumination that highlights the metallic textures of the rails, gravel ballast, and faded paint on the cars. The composition is shot from a slightly elevated, wide-angle perspective, emphasizing how the rail line slices the community in two. In the distance, the Houston skyline appears faint and slightly blurred. The mood is serious and contemplative, with clean, photographic realism and balanced, documentary-style framing.
A close-up, photographic view of a heavy steel railroad crossing gate lowered across a cracked urban street in Houston’s East End, bright red warning lights frozen mid-flash. The gate’s chipped white and red paint, rusted bolts, and worn reflective tape are rendered in sharp detail. Behind it, multiple tracks vanish into a maze of industrial warehouses and tank cars under an overcast sky. Soft, diffused daylight creates minimal shadows, emphasizing the stark textures of metal, gravel, and concrete. Shot at eye level with a shallow depth of field, the gate dominates the foreground while the sprawling rail yard gently blurs behind. The mood is tense yet controlled, evoking disruption and barrier, in a clean, professional documentary photographic style.
An aerial, photographic view of Houston’s East End rail corridor at dusk, multiple parallel tracks weaving between compact residential blocks, small parks, and low-slung industrial facilities. The warm, fading sunlight casts long, slender shadows from railcars and signal towers across the ground, while streetlights and crossing signals begin to glow with a subtle orange hue. The composition uses a wide, top-down perspective that clearly shows how the rail lines intersect with schools, homes, and community spaces. The atmosphere feels analytical and informative, not sensational, with crisp detail across the entire frame. The overall style is professional, map-like photographic realism, emphasizing infrastructure, density, and the community impacted by a major rail merger.

What’s Happening

Union Pacific is seeking to acquire Norfolk Southern in an $85 billion merger that would create the first coast‑to‑coast railroad under a single company’s control.

Learn more →

Why It Matters Here

More and longer trains would mean more blocked crossings, greater hazmat risk, and worse air quality in neighborhoods already living next to the tracks.

See local impacts →

How You Can Act

We’re organizing residents, tracking the merger, and pushing back at every step. You can plug in right now.

Go to Action page →

Where the Merger Stands Now

UP and NS reached an $85 billion merger agreement in 2025 and filed a 7,000‑page application with federal regulators. In January 2026, the Surface Transportation Board rejected that application as incomplete. UP has already said it will refile—so this fight is far from over.

  • 2025: UP and NS sign an $85B merger deal
  • December 2025: 7,000‑page application filed with regulators
  • January 2026: Application rejected as incomplete
  • Now: UP plans to refile
See full timeline

We’ve Seen These Promises Before

In 1996, Union Pacific promised better service and efficiency when it bought Southern Pacific. Instead, Houston and the western U.S. suffered a rail meltdown—months of gridlock, job losses, and billions in economic damage. We can’t afford to repeat that mistake.

What happened in 1996 →

Stay Ready for the Next Round

The rail companies are preparing their next move. Sign up for alerts so you know what’s happening, when hearings are scheduled, and how you can respond.

Get alerts & next steps

Latest News

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨