The Reading & Northern Railroad Passenger Department is pleased to once again report an increase in its overall annual ridership for 2024. 2023 saw over 322,000
guests experience rides on our many offerings including the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, regularly scheduled all-day excursions from Reading and Pittston, holiday-themed trains, and of course our famed Iron Horse Rambles to name a few. 2024 eclipsed that mark with nearly 340,000 riders, an increase of 5%.
The biggest news for 2024 was the opening of the Nesquehoning Regional Railroad Station, located at the heart of the railroad’s burgeoning Nesquehoning Campus along its Main Line from Reading to Pittston. Diesel excursions to Tunkhannock for the town’s Sip & Savor event were hosted; most notably, however,
were two epic Iron Horse Ramble excursions. These sold-out trips featured iconic 4-8-4 T-1 steam locomotive #2102 roaring through the Lehigh Gorge under its own power for the first time in nearly fifty years. The August 17th Ramble served as the marquee event for the station’s grand opening celebration. While rightfully proud of these accomplishments, the Passenger Department is wasting no time in preparing for the 2025 season. As mentioned in a prior press release, the railroad will once again host Iron Horse Rambles originating from Nesquehoning in summer 2025. In the more immediate future, a first ever winter steam Ramble with #2102 will operate from Reading to Jim Thorpe on Saturday, February 8, 2025. Continuing a classic late-spring tradition, the Reading to Jim Thorpe route will be repeated on
Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Expanding on the all-day excursion front, 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, 2025. Tickets for regular season Reading- and Pittston-to-Jim Thorpe trains will go
on sale Monday, January 13, 2025 at 9:00am. They will be available online at www.rbmnrr passenger.com and by phone at 610-562-2102. As always, 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 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Regional Railroad Station at Pittston, Mountain Top, or White Haven stations. The ever-popular Fall Foliage schedules, as well as special monthly trips from Reading to Pottsville, will be announced later.
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, based in the historic town of Jim Thorpe, PA, accounts for the greatest percentage of overall ridership. In 2025, the LGSR 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. This is a month earlier than the typical April startup of daily operations and will coincide with the start of regular season trains to Jim Thorpe from Pittston and Reading. Mostly favorable weather in recent years and the accompanying demand for tickets led to this scheduling change. LGSR tickets are currently on sale for trains operating January 11 through March 30, 2025; more of the schedule will be posted as 2025 progresses.
-via Press Release