Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad had a strong year in 2024 with increased ridership numbers and the opening of a new regional rail station.
2023 saw over 322,000 guests ride with Reading & Northern, the railroad said in a press release.
2024 eclipsed that mark with nearly 340,000 riders taking trips including the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, as well as all-day excursions from Reading and Pittston, holiday-themed trains, and the Iron Horse Rambles.
In August, Reading & Northern celebrated the opening of Nesquehoning Regional Railroad Station, located at the company’s campus in Nesquehoning, Carbon County, along its main line from Reading to Pittston.
The new station hosted diesel trips to Tunkhannock and two sold-out Iron Horse Ramble excursions.
“These trips featured an iconic T1 steam locomotive roaring through the Lehigh Gorge under its own power for the first time in nearly fifty years,” Reading & Northern Railroad said.
The railroad said it will again host Iron Horse Rambles originating from Nesquehoning in summer 2025.
In addition, a first-ever winter steam Ramble will operate from Reading to Jim Thorpe on Feb. 8, 2025. The Reading to Jim Thorpe route will be repeated on May 25.
Concurrent weekend trips from Reading and Pittston to Jim Thorpe will begin with the usual themed trains in February before moving into their regular season on Saturday, March 15, the railroad said.
Tickets for regular season Reading- and Pittston-to-Jim Thorpe trains will go on sale Jan. 13. at www.rbmnrr-passenger.com and by phone at 610-562-2102.
Riders coming from the south will be able to board at Reading Outer Station, Port Clinton or Tamaqua; those coming from the north may choose from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Regional Railroad Station at Pittston, Mountain Top, or White Haven.
Fall Foliage ride schedules, as well as special monthly trips from Reading to Pottsville, will be announced later, the railroad said.
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway will be operating weekends in January and February, plus Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day, until March 15, when daily operation will resume.
The railroad said mostly favorable weather in recent years and an accompanying demand for tickets led to scheduling daily operations to start a month earlier.
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway tickets are currently on sale for trains operating Jan. 11 through March 30. More of the schedule will be posted as 2025 progresses.
Reading & Northern Railroad, headquartered in Port Clinton, is a privately held rail company serving nine eastern Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming.
Its freight and passenger operations cover over 400 miles of track. The railroad owns 1,800 freight cars and employs more than 350 people.