Norfolk Southern has significant infrastructure and history ties to Petersburg. Will its merger with Union Pacific untie those ties in any way?

Combining Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern into the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. would create a 52,215-mile colossus that could offer seamless service from coast to coast, bypassing longtime interchange choke points in Chicago and at gateways along the Mississippi River.

One of the two major commercial 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.