Omaha-based Union Pacific Railroad says it's buying Norfolk Southern in an 85-billion-dollar deal. The merger creates the first transcontinental railroad in the US, spanning more than 52-thousand-miles coast-to-coast through 43 states. The two companies' boards of directors unanimously approved the transaction. The deal is expected to close within the next two years. U.P. tells KFAB Radio News that the merged railroad name will be Union Pacific, and the headquarters will remain in Omaha.