Reading & Northern, a privately held railroad in eastern Pennsylvania, has reported that merchandise (non-coal) traffic is up 15 percent over its record-setting 2015 base. Its passenger excursion business, which saw a record 100,000 visitors in 2015, increased 15 percent.
Reading & Northern has launched a program of capital expenditures in order to handle its increased traffic. In the last 60 days, the railroad added six locomotives to its fleet of 30 active locomotives. Four EMD MP15 locomotives were acquired and will be immediately used in freight service. Two EMD GP39RNs locomotives were also purchased and will primarily be used in passenger excursion service.
Anticipating future growth in its anthracite business, Reading & Northern will purchase 156 used steel open-top hopper cars, bringing their total car fleet to 1179 cars, which includes open-top and covered hoppers, flat cars, box cars and gondolas.
The company has also recently completed major track projects at two new freight customers, which is anticipated to lead to growth in excess of 1000 cars a year. This is in addition to a track project for another customer earlier in 2016. The railroad has also installed 15,000 ties, 10,000 feet of new rail, constructed 10,000 feet of new sidings, and surfaced 89 miles of track.
Reading & Northern is also upgrading 100 miles of a centralized traffic control signal system, which is remotely controlled from its Port Clinton dispatch center. The company has installed an additional 15 miles of signal system of previously un-signaled territory including a remotely controlled switch at a heavily used junction.