1.   Any railroad merger would have to be approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board.

2.   Earlier today, the Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that oversees railroad mergers, also declined to strike down the provision.

3.   It is the latest in a long line of railroad mergers as rail companies strive to become more efficient and competitive with truckers.

4.   Morgan said she was talking in general about railroad mergers and the tools the board has to ensure competition.

5.   Norfolk Southern also has asked the Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that oversees railroad mergers, to strike down the two-year lockout provision.

6.   Some called for tighter regulation of big railroad mergers.

7.   The commission also reviews the impact of any railroad merger on employees and the environment.

8.   The ICC has grown increasingly pro-business in recent months, even speeding up the timetable at which it rules on railroad mergers.

9.   The ICC has grown increasingly pro-business in recent months, even speeding up its timetable for ruling on railroad mergers.

10.   The Rock Island line is gone, too, submerged years ago in the currents of railroad mergers.