The merger would create the United States’ first coast-to-coast rail network, spanning 50,000 miles and 43 states.

( NewsNation) — Union Pacific plans to acquire Norfolk Southern in a deal worth $85 billion, the freight railroad giants announced Tuesday.

Union Pacific , the largest U.S. railroad operator, could reach an agreement to acquire rival Norfolk Southern as soon as early next week, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.