Reading & Northern Sets a November 23 Start in Luzerne

Published: November 2, 2026

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Reading & Northern expects to take over Luzerne County rail lines on November 23. Its affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Terminal Railway, told the Surface Transportation Board that the parties intend to start operations that day. The lines cover about 59.65 miles, including segments that are out of service.

Reading and Northern SD38 2000 and SD40-2 3068 rest at West Hazelton PA September 30 2023

Reading & Northern SD38 #2000 and SD40-2 #3068 rest at West Hazelton, Pennsylvania on September 30, 2023. Photographer Doug Kroll notes the R&N has been able to grow the business at this industrial park to the point it is now the base for two crews.

The price and the lawsuit

The Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority owns the line. Times Leader reported that the railroad offered $7 million in cash at closing, plus $3 million for track rehabilitation in the first three years. The paper described that pair of figures as a $10 million package, and said the railroad also committed to upgrades for excursion trains. The sale is meant to resolve litigation over $3.28 million the authority owes the county. County officials and the authority were still negotiating the final papers when the October 28 story ran.

An October 9 closing did not happen. R.J. Corman, which operates the line and had made its own offer, went to federal court. Times Leader reported that an October 21 order dismissed the case because Corman and Reading & Northern had privately agreed to end it. Trains reported on October 26 that the board filing does not describe that settlement, and that the county had earlier vetoed a Corman offer of $8.2 million. The magazine also reported that the Luzerne & Susquehanna line has been operating about 27 miles of the property.

What the board filing says

Wilkes-Barre Terminal is not a railroad today. It filed a verified notice, docket FD 36958, to acquire the line from the authority and the operating rights from the Luzerne County Rail Corporation, a subsidiary that does not itself operate. The Federal Register notice of October 15 said the earliest the exemption could be used was October 29. A supplemented notice, filed October 23 through the firm Clark Hill, says the parties now intend to close so that operations start November 23. Corman has agreed to be replaced as the common carrier on the leased line and to step aside in step with that date.

The filing identifies 13 shippers. It also describes a related request, docket FD 36959, for Wilkes-Barre Terminal to grant local trackage rights to Reading & Northern over the segments that are in service. The filing puts that date at October 29, so freight customers are not left without a railroad during the change. Wilkes-Barre Terminal certified that revenue from the lines will not exceed $5 million a year and that the deal will not make it a Class I or Class II railroad.

A station that is still a plan

The railroad has put up a sign on a downtown lot it bought, near the old station along Wilkes-Barre Boulevard. The sign calls the lot the future site of the Wilkes-Barre Regional Railroad Station at Market Square, and it tells passersby that a round trip to Jim Thorpe could be ahead. Chairman and chief executive Andy M. Muller Jr. has said the lot will hold a platform and will link Wilkes-Barre with the Pittston depot, for excursions to Jim Thorpe and, later, the other way when the city has something to draw a crowd. That passenger service is a plan. It is not running.

Sources

Times Leader, Jennifer Learn-Andes, October 28, 2026. Reading and Northern expects to assume ownership and operation on November 23, from an October 23 filing by Wilkes-Barre Terminal through Clark Hill. Corman agreed to being replaced as the common carrier. About 59.65 miles, in service and out of service, and 13 shippers. The offer is $7 million cash at closing plus $3 million for track rehabilitation in the first three years, described as a $10 million package, plus excursion upgrades. The authority owes the county $3.28 million. The October 9 closing was delayed by the Corman suit. An October 21 federal court order dismissed that case after a private agreement. A separate request seeks trackage rights for Reading and Northern over in-service segments, effective October 29 in the filing. A sign at Market Square calls the lot the future Wilkes-Barre Regional Railroad Station. Andy M. Muller Jr. described a platform linked to the Pittston depot for excursions to Jim Thorpe.
Trains, October 26, 2026. The updated filing expects the transaction by November 23. The September 29 notice had an effective date of October 29. About 59.65 miles, with about 27 miles operated by the Luzerne & Susquehanna line. Thirteen customers. The filing does not address the settlement. The county vetoed an R.J. Corman offer of $8.2 million. Reading and Northern then offered $7 million plus $3 million in infrastructure work.
Federal Register, October 15, 2026, notice 2026-21035, Docket No. FD 36958. Wilkes-Barre Terminal Railway Company, a noncarrier, filed to acquire about 59.65 miles from the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority and operating rights from the Luzerne County Rail Corporation. Earliest consummation October 29. The company certified that revenue will not exceed $5 million and that it will not become a Class I or Class II carrier. No interchange commitment. Related trackage-rights notice, Docket No. FD 36959, for Reading Blue Mountain & Northern over the in-service segments.

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Reading & Northern Sets a November 23 Start in Luzerne

The price and the lawsuit

What the board filing says

A station that is still a plan

Related reading on American-Rails.com

Sources