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

Union Pacific wants to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S, and potentially trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the country.

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