Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern to create first transcontinental railroad
By Dan McCaleb
The Center Square
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern plan to create America’s first transcontinental railroad, connecting over 50,000 route miles across 43 states from the East Coast to the West Coast, the companies announced Tuesday.
The effort will link about 100 ports across North America, they said.
"This combination will transform the U.S. supply chain, unleash the industrial strength of American manufacturing, and create new sources of economic growth and workforce opportunity that preserves union jobs," they said in a joint news release.
President Donald Trump has made revitalizing American manufacturing a top priority of his second term. Tuesday's announcement advances Trump's efforts.
“Railroads have been an integral part of building America since the Industrial Revolution, and this transaction is the next step in advancing the industry,” Jim Vena, Union Pacific's chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Imagine seamlessly hauling steel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Colton, California and moving tomato paste from Heron, California to Fremont, Ohio. Lumber from the Pacific Northwest, plastics from the Gulf Coast, copper from Arizona and Utah, and soda ash from Wyoming. Right now, tens of thousands of railroaders are moving almost everything we use. You name it, and at some point, the railroad hauled it.”
Union Pacific's creation dates to 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act. Under the terms of Tuesday's deal, Union Pacific said it will acquire Norfolk Southern in a stock and cash transaction.
“Norfolk Southern, like Union Pacific, is a railroad integral to the U.S. economy, with a storied 200-year legacy of serving customers across 22 states in the eastern half of the nation,” Mark George, CEO of Norfolk Southern, said in a statement.
“This combination is transformational, enhancing the best freight transportation system in the world – it's a win for the American economy, it's a win for our customers, and it’s a win for our people,” Vena added. “It builds on President Abraham Lincoln’s vision of a transcontinental railroad from nearly 165 years ago and advances our Safety, Service and Operational Excellence Strategy."
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Comment
Very good points
Back when TIME Magazine was somewhat fair and interesting, they did a piece on U.S. Route 50. The item that drew my eye was that Hillsboro, Ohio was the only city east of the Mississip' with 2 (two) stockyards... Beef and pork are pretty important to our economy and to the other red-blooded Americans. A lot of the local businesses in the area still close at noon on Wednesdays, in deference to the Wednesday livestock sales of the bygone years.
And still, Hillsboro sits in a transportation desert
Other than a tiny piece of four lane Rt 32 in far southwest Highland County and the short line railroad in Greenfield, Highland County is in a transportation desert when it comes to modern modes. And it could be the citizens of Hillsboro and Highland County want it that way. I am only remarking on the obvious.
Back when I was in college, my roommate told me that in the geology department, they got a letter from the a university in Oregon. The writer was looking for an explanation as to why Hillsboro, Ohio had not developed in the early days for it had all these roads coming through it like spokes on a wheel. Of course, the reason in the early days could have been the lack of navigable river access, such as Cincinnati.
Today, the problem may be politics (see the idea earlier this week of an I-73 in these papers) or it could be that the citizens are content with Hillsboro the way it is, which is perfectly acceptable. I just think is needs to be discussed in an open forum.