Union Pacific is seeking to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S.

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

Union Pacific said on Tuesday it would buy smaller rival Norfolk Southern in an US$85 billion deal, to create the nation’s first coast-to-coast freight rail operator and reshape the movement of goods from grains to autos across the country.