JUSTICE OPPOSES QUICK GREYHOUND-TRAILWAYS MERGER The Justice Department said it asked the government to proceed cautiously on a plan allowing the nation's two largest intercity bus companies to merge their operations, a move one of the firms said may derail the deal. Justice's opposition to quick federal approval of a bid by Greyhound Lines Inc to take immediate control Trailways Corp prompted Greyhound to threaten -- in a brief filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) -- to drop the merger plan. Greyhound officials told Reuters late today the company hoped for ICC action on the merger by tomorrow. "Greyhound Lines will go forward with the transaction only if it is permitted to assume immediate, unconditional control of Trailways' operations and to integrate them with its operations," Greyhound said in a filing with the ICC, the federal regulatory agency which has the final say over mergers of interstate bus companies. But Justice had said in an earlier filing with the ICC that it wanted the agency to move slowly on the plan and to turn down Greyhound's request to begin operating Trailways immediately. "The department has just begun to receive relevant information on Trailways' financial condition and is in the process of assessing the correctness of the company's allegations," acting Assistant Attorney General Charles Rule said in comments submitted to the ICC. Greyhound announced June 19 that it wanted the ICC to let it begin operating Trailways immediately while continuing to evaluate the merger for possible antitrust problems. Greyhound said it would pay 80 mln dlrs for many of Trailways' terminals, buses and garages. The two companies said in papers filed with the ICC that Trailways "could collapse in a matter of days." They said Trailways owed suppliers more than six mln dlrs, with another six mln dlrs due June 30. The suppliers, they said, could force Trailways into bankruptcy "at any time." Trailways also owes a consortium of banks 76 mln dlrs, and the consortium has threatened to call the loan if Trailways fails to pay the interest due June 30, they said.