Norfolk Southern Corporation

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The risks set forth in Risk Factors included in our 2024 Form 10-K could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or liquidity in a particular year or quarter, and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. Those risks remain unchanged and are incorporated herein by reference.

We have supplemented those Risk Factors as set forth below.

Risks Related to the Mergers

The Mergers are subject to conditions, some or all of which may not be satisfied or completed on a timely basis, if at all. Failure to complete the Mergers could have material adverse effects on the Company.

The completion of the Mergers is subject to a number of conditions, including, among others, the approval of the share issuance proposal by the Union Pacific shareholders, the approval of the Merger Agreement proposal by the Companys shareholders, and the receipt of the requisite regulatory approvals, which make the completion of the Mergers and timing thereof uncertain. Also, either Union Pacific or the Company may terminate the Merger Agreement if the Mergers have not been consummated by the end date (subject to an automatic extension in certain circumstances), except that this right to terminate the Merger Agreement will not be available to any party whose failure to perform any obligation under the Merger Agreement has been the primary cause of the failure of the Mergers to be consummated on or before that date.

If the Mergers are not completed, the Companys ongoing business may be materially adversely affected and, without realizing any of the benefits of having completed the Mergers, the Company will be subject to a number of risks, including the following:

the market price of the Companys common stock could decline;

the Company could owe substantial termination fees to Union Pacific under certain circumstances;

if the Merger Agreement is terminated and the Union Pacific board or the Companys board seeks another business combination, Union Pacific shareholders and Norfolk Southern shareholders cannot be certain that Union Pacific or the Company will be able to find a party willing to enter into a transaction on terms equivalent to or more attractive than the terms that the other party has agreed to in the Merger Agreement;

time, resources, and costs committed by the Companys management team to matters relating to the Mergers could otherwise have been devoted to pursuing other beneficial opportunities;

the Company may experience negative reactions from the financial markets or from its customers, suppliers, employees, labor unions, or other business partners; and

the Company will be required to pay its respective costs relating to the Mergers, such as legal, accounting, financial advisory, and printing fees, whether or not the Mergers are completed.

In addition, if the Mergers are not completed, the Company could be subject to litigation related to any failure to complete the Mergers or related to any enforcement proceeding commenced against the Company to perform its obligations under the Merger Agreement, and whether or not any such litigation has any merit, the cost of defending such litigation may be significant. The materialization of any of these risks could adversely impact the Companys ongoing business.

Similarly, delays in the completion of the Mergers could, among other things, result in additional transaction costs, loss of revenue, or other negative effects associated with uncertainty about completion of the Mergers.

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The Mergers are subject to the receipt of the requisite regulatory approvals, which requisite regulatory approvals may never be obtained, therefore preventing completion of the Mergers. In addition, in granting such approvals, regulatory authorities may impose conditions that could have a significant adverse effect on the Company or the combined company and the expected benefits of the Mergers therefore preventing completion of the Mergers.

Before the Mergers may be completed, the requisite regulatory approvals must have been obtained, including STB approval. The terms and conditions of the approvals that are granted may impose requirements, concessions, limitations, or costs or place restrictions on the conduct of the combined companys business. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, Union Pacific and the Company have each agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or cause to be done, and to assist and cooperate with each other in doing, all things necessary, proper, or advisable to cause the conditions to closing set forth in the Merger Agreement to be satisfied and to consummate and make effective the Mergers and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement prior to the end date, except that Union Pacific and its subsidiaries are not required to take, or commit to take, or agree to or accept any materially burdensome regulatory condition. For purposes of the foregoing, reasonable best efforts includes, among others, (i) proposing, negotiating, committing to, and effecting, by consent decree, hold separate order, or otherwise, the sale, divestiture, license, hold separate, or disposition of any and all of the share capital or other equity interest, assets, products, or businesses of Union Pacific and its subsidiaries or of the Company and its subsidiaries and (ii) otherwise taking or committing to take any actions that after the first effective time would limit Union Pacifics or its subsidiaries freedom of action with respect to, or their ability to retain, or otherwise agreeing to any restriction, requirement, or limitation with respect to their or one or more of their subsidiaries assets, products, or businesses, in each case as may be required in order to avoid the entry of, or to effect the dissolution of, any injunction, temporary restraining order, or other order that would otherwise have the effect of preventing or delaying the closing. The STB and other regulatory and governmental authorities may impose requirements, concessions, and other conditions on the granting of such approvals. If such regulatory and governmental authorities seek to impose such requirements, concessions, or conditions, lengthy negotiations may ensue among such authorities, Union Pacific and the Company. Such requirements, concessions, and conditions and the process of obtaining regulatory approvals could have the effect of delaying completion of the Mergers and such requirements, concessions, and conditions may not be identified or satisfied for an extended period of time following the Union Pacific special meeting and the Companys special meeting. Such requirements, concessions and conditions may also impose additional costs or limitations on the combined company following the completion of the Mergers and the parties have agreed to accept such requirements, concessions, and conditions, even if significant, subject to the agreed-upon materially burdensome regulatory condition limitation in favor of Union Pacific. These requirements, concessions, and conditions may therefore reduce the anticipated benefits of the Mergers, including synergies, which could also have a significant adverse effect on the combined companys business and cash flows and results of operations, and neither Union Pacific nor the Company can predict what, if any, requirements, concessions, and conditions may be required by regulatory or governmental authorities whose approvals are required. The requisite regulatory approvals may not be obtained at all, may not be obtained in a timely fashion, and may contain conditions on the completion of the Mergers.

In addition, under existing law, railroad competitors and customers of Union Pacific and the Company and other interested parties may intervene to oppose the STB application or seek protective conditions in the event approval by the STB is granted, which might affect the decision of the STB, delay the approval process, or reduce the anticipated benefits of the Mergers. Furthermore, if the STB does not provide final approval or imposes conditions on its approval in a final order, and Union Pacific and the Company decide to appeal such final order from the STB, any such appeal might not be resolved for a substantial period of time after the entry of such order by the STB.

The Company is subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the Mergers are pending, which could adversely affect the Companys business and operations.

In connection with the pendency of the Mergers, some customers, suppliers, and other persons with whom the Company has a business relationship have or may delay or defer certain business decisions or terminate, change, or

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renegotiate their relationships with the Company, as the case may be, as a result of the Mergers, which could negatively affect the Companys revenues, earnings, and cash flows, as well as the market price of the Companys common stock, regardless of whether the Mergers are completed.

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company is subject to certain restrictions on the conduct of its business prior to completing the first Merger, which may adversely affect its ability to execute certain of its business strategies, including the ability in certain cases to enter into or amend contracts, acquire or dispose of assets, incur indebtedness, incur capital expenditures, settle litigation, amend organizational documents, declare dividends, enter new business lines, and invest in third parties. Such limitations could adversely affect the Companys businesses and operations prior to the completion of the Mergers.

Each of the risks described above may be exacerbated by delays or other adverse developments with respect to the completion of the Mergers.

Uncertainties associated with the Mergers may cause a loss of management personnel and other key employees, and the Company may have difficulty attracting and motivating management personnel and other key employees.

The Company is dependent on the experience and industry knowledge of its management personnel and other key employees to execute its business plans. The combined companys success after the completion of the Mergers will depend in part upon the ability of the Company to attract and retain key management personnel and other key employees. Prior to completion of the Mergers, current and prospective employees of the Company may experience uncertainty about their roles within the combined company following the completion of the Mergers, which may have an adverse effect on the ability of the Company to attract or retain management personnel and other key employees.