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A week after ending its five-year oversight of the Union Pacific/Southern Pacific Railroad merger, Surface Transportation Board Dec. 27 announced it would discontinue formal monitoring of the Canadian National Railway Co./Illinois Central Railroad combination.

In blessing the CN/IC union, STB in May 1999 said it would establish general merger oversight for up to five years to ensure board conditions were effective, and that CN/IC service was competitive. STB also pledged to assess service CN provides jointly with Kansas City Southern under the CN/KCS marketing alliance.

Over the past two-plus years, STB uncovered no "significant problems" with CN/IC, the board said, adding that the only comment filed during Implementation Year 2 was "positive."

As it did with its Dec. 20 decision to cease formal UP/SP oversight, STB emphasized that it retains the authority to enforce or revise previously imposed CN/IC merger conditions.