TRANSPORTATION

ICC Approves Rail Merger: Santa Fe Pacific Corp. and Burlington Northern Inc. said they received Interstate Commerce Commission approval, with certain conditions, for their proposed merger. The merger, valued at about $4 billion, will create the nation’s single largest rail carrier, operating more than 35,000 miles of main and secondary track in the United States and Canada. In 1994, the two railroads generated more than $7.5 billion in operating revenues. The new company will be called Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. The effective date of the decision is Sept. 22, according to a statement issued by the railroads. The decision imposes conditions designed to prevent competitive harm that would otherwise result from the merger, the statement said.