FILE- In this July 31, 2018, file photo a Union Pacific train travels through Union, Neb.
ā A federal judge has ruled that the details of conversations between the nation's four largest railroads should be included in lawsuits challenging billions of dollars of charges the railroads imposed in the past.
The lawsuits say the railroads conspired to boost prices starting in 2003 by imposing coordinated fuel surcharges and pocketing billions of dollars in profits.
In the lawsuits, the railroads have argued that their fuel surcharges were legal and were simply designed to recover the skyrocketing cost of fuel at the time.
Union Pacific, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska, plans to continue āvigorously defending itself against the allegations in these lawsuits,ā spokeswoman Elizabeth Graham said.