Freight railroad companies Union Pacific and Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern announced a merger agreement Tuesday that will create the nation's first transcontinental railroad.

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

One of the two major railroads serving South Carolina would be sold under an $85 million deal announced July 29 that would create the nation’s first transcontinental freight carrier.