Union Pacific and Norfolk seek 1st transcontinental railroad through a massive merger

Source: Associated Press

Union Pacific and Norfolk seek 1st transcontinental railroad through a massive merger

By JOSH FUNK
Updated 10:08 AM EDT, July 29, 2025

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — 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.

The proposed merger, announced Tuesday, would marry Union Pacific’s vast rail network in the West with Norfolk’s rails that snake across 22 Eastern states, and the District of Columbia.

The nation was first linked by rail in 1869, when a golden railroad spike was driven in Utah to symbolize the connection of East and West Coasts. Yet no single entity has controlled that coast-to-coast passage.

The railroads argue a merger would streamline deliveries of raw materials and goods nationwide by eliminating delays when shipments are handed off between railroads. The AP first reported the merger talks earlier this month a week before the railroads confirmed the discussions last week.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-norfolk-southern-transcontinental-railroad-merger-b15664ec5cc55b985a0a32a1bf990d41