For the first time in nearly 50 years, passengers will be able to ride by train from the Wyoming Valley through the Poconos.
Beginning Memorial Day weekend, a new excursion from the Reading & Northern Railroad will take them from Pittston through the Lehigh Gorge and two tunnels and over scenic bridges before arriving in Jim Thorpe.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the railroad announced the new day excursion. Tickets go on sale March 1. More details on seating and pricing options are set to be announced later.
During the summer months, the train will leave from Pittston every Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m., beginning May 27. It will stop at Penobscot near Mountaintop and in White Haven to pick passengers up before dropping them off at the historic train station near Broadway and Lehigh Avenue in Jim Thorpe. Passengers will have over three hours to visit the southern Poconos town.
Pittston Mayor Mike Lombardo sees the timing of the train announcement as the perfect storm of opportunity.
“There’s no question in my mind it’s just another significant opportunity for the city," he said.
The new excursion will not only draw people to the north end of the city and the revitalization planned there but could also bring people from Jim Thorpe to Pittston.
"This is a starting point, I think there is a lot that can come from this experience," Lombardo said.
Reading & Northern Railroad is Pennsylvania's largest privately-owned railroad company, with corporate offices in Port Clinton. It handles more than 34,000 carloads of freight annually. CEO Andy Muller said in a release that the new excursion “is funded without any public money taken from taxpayers’ dollars.”
The company runs a similar service from Reading to Jim Thorpe. Matt Fisher, general manager of the passenger department, said their steam- and diesel- powered excursions carried around 250,000 passengers on that route last year.
“We knew that there is demand up in the Wyoming Valley for people to ride the train so all those things factored together was one of the reasons we were looking to do this now," Fisher said.
Planning and groundbreaking is already underway for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Regional Railroad Station. There will be a platform area, ticket booth and parking area at 718 North Main St., in Pittston.
