Mauch Chunk Trust Company’s bank in downtown Jim Thorpe will close at the end of the year to make space for tourists.
The branch is located inside the borough's historic train station, which houses the Jim Thorpe Visitors Center.
Out-of-towners who come for a train ride, take a jaunt on the adjacent trail or to visit the shops in town stop at the station to use the restroom and seek tourism information from the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau.
Closing the branch will make more space for the estimated 400,000 guests who stop by in a year, according to a press release.
The decision to close the branch was made in partnership with the Carbon County Commissioners to better accommodate the crowds.
In the announcement, Patrick H. Reilly, President and CEO of Mauch Chunk Trust said, “As tourism in Jim Thorpe has grown over the years, we’ve seen many of our railroad station customers increasingly using our North Street and other offices because they are easier to access and have better parking.”
Reilly also said more customers have been using their mobile app for banking.
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway has trains departing the station several times daily during the busy seasons.
The county currently pays for portable restrooms to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people that visit each year.
“No concrete plans have been made yet,” Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said Friday, but added that renovating the station to add more restrooms has been part of the conversation.
Mauch Chunk Trust has seven locations in Carbon County and Tamaqua. The bank’s main office on North Street is on Jim Thorpe’s East Side.
The train station branch downtown will close on Dec. 1, 2025. An ATM will remain outside the building.
