Reading & Northern Railroad (R&N) has recorded increases in employees, track, locomotives, freight cars, facilities and customers in 2016. R&N merchandise traffic was up by 16 percent in 2016 with almost 20,000 carloads and its tourist operations handled more than 100,000 visitors, the second time it reached the 100,000 passengers mark.
“Business has been very good the last few years and in order to keep growing we invest in the railroad ahead of the demand,” said R&N Owner and CEO Andy Muller, Jr., who noted that it has always been his strategy to reinvest in the company. “That is why this year we bought more locomotives and freight cars and did an unprecedented amount of trackwork.”
In 2016, R&N added 10 miles of new track to its system, including the acquisition of the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazleton, Pa., and more than 3 miles of new track construction. Over 15,000 ties and a dozen new switches were installed last year and more than 20,000 linear feet of rail were replaced.
R&N acquired six 4-axle locomotives, a 20 percent increase to the locomotive fleet in 2016. The railroad also increased freight cars by 16 percent, acquiring 162 additional freight cars, which increased the fleet to 1,179 railcars. In 2016, R&N also began or completed construction of six new facilities, added over a dozen new customers, most with the Humboldt acquisition, and added 21 new employees.
“I expect our railroad to grow,” said Muller. “I expect our superior service will help our customers grow and as they grow we will benefit. I expect our reputation to encourage more businesses to locate along our lines. We will always take care of our customers and our employees. That is the cornerstone of our success.”
“It takes well-trained employees operating well-powered trains over well-maintained tracks to deliver the high quality service that our customers have learned to expect from Reading & Northern,” stated Wayne Michel, R&N president. “We offer our customers guaranteed service windows and provide additional service at no cost to help them with their demands. Taking care of the customers is Job 1 at the Reading & Northern.”
Reading & Northern Railroad is a privately held railroad company with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, Pa. It serves customers in the eastern Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Wyoming. R&N operates both freight services and steam and diesel powered excursion passenger services through its Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.