Reading & Northern Railroad, the largest privately owned railroad in Pennsylvania, had another year of record freight revenues and record passenger ridership and revenues in 2024.

On the freight side, R&N handled nearly 32,000 revenue carloads, which was 10% fewer carloads than in 2023. Despite the decline in carloads, R&N earned more freight revenue than in any year in its history because of a shift in traffic mix.

Like every other railroad in northeastern Pennsylvania, R&N showed a substantial decline in frac sand carloadings related to the steep decline in Marcellus Shale drilling activity. Although frac sand going to R&N’s Marcellus Shale transload facility in Tunkhannock declined by over 3,100 carloads, that traffic loss was offset in R&N’s largest business segments, anthracite coal and forest products.

Anthracite coal once again exceeded 1 million tons shipped, only the second time in R&N’s 34-year history when that was accomplished. Revenues from R&N’s anthracite business was up by double digits.

In the forest products area, R&N benefited from an aggressive marketing program to encourage wood pulp producers to take greater advantage of R&N’s Ransom Warehouse to stage safety stock closer to the Procter & Gamble tissue mill at the end of its line in Mehoopany. R&N also saw growth in paperboard moving to the many box plants on the railroad as the need for corrugated material continues to grow.

Traffic diversity is one of R&N’s strengths, and R&N also experienced carload and revenue success moving plastic resins, metals, and food and agriculture commodities. The result of the diverse traffic base led R&N to have its most successful year moving freight despite the decline in frac sand.

And the future looks even brighter. Based on preliminary forecasts, R&N expects to increase both carloads and revenues significantly in 2025.

On the passenger side, R&N already announced its record results including 340,000 riders in 2024. The year marked the opening of new departure facilities, additional equipment and more trains.

To continue accomplishing all of this, R&N invested in equipment, track and people. R&N spent $6 million purchasing freight cars, vehicles and other equipment, and track and signal materials. R&N also hired 70 employees, internally promoted 56 employees and gave raises and benefits to its staff.

Andy Muller Jr., R&N owner and CEO said, “Our remarkable string of record-breaking results in our freight and passenger businesses is because we pay attention to taking care of our employees and taking care of our customers. As long as we continue to focus on what’s important, and we continue to invest in giving our people the tools they need to safely and efficiently serve our customers, Reading & Northern will continue to thrive.”

Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 80 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming).

It has expanded its operations over the last 40 years and now transports nearly 35,000 carloads of freight (which removes over 200,000 trucks from the highway), while its passenger department welcomes nearly 340,000 riders annually.

R&N operates its freight and steam- and diesel-powered passenger excursions over 400 miles of track, owns almost 2,000 freight cars and employs over 350 dedicated people.

R&N has been repeatedly honored as one of the premier railroads in the nation, including being named Regional Railroad of the Year in 2020 by Railway Age magazine.