Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern today announced an $85 billion deal to tie their networks together and create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. The merged company — which will be called Union Pacific — will transform the U.

Union Pacific is seeking 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.

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