MONTREAL (Feb. 22) — Canadian National Railway and Illinois Central said they have reached an implementing agreement with the Brotherhood Railroad Signalmen (BRS), “resolving all labor issues related to the proposed merger of CN and IC.”

In approving the deal, the union said it would support the CN/IC merger application before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The STB is reviewing the proposed merger to determine its impact on rail competition.

The pact with BRS resolves issues of overlapping collective agreements and seniority districts on CN, IC, and their subsidiaries.

The merger of CN and IC would create one of the largest rail networks in North America. CN, North America’s only transcontinental railroad, operates approximately 15,300 route-miles of track in eight Canadian provinces and six U.S. states, with principal routes to every major metropolitan area in Canada and to the major U.S. rail hubs of Buffalo, Detroit, Duluth/Superior, Wis., and Chicago.

Illinois Central manages approximately 3370 route-miles of track running north-south between Chicago and the Gulf of Mexico, and east-west between Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska.