Reading Line

The Reading Line is a main freight line in Pennsylvania owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. It stretches from the Harrisburg Line at Wyomissing Junction in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania to a junction with the Lehigh Line in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The line sees about 65 trains a day, mostly trains running from Northern New Jersey and Allentown, Pennsylvania to points west and south. The line, for the most part, is double-track, with the only area of single track between CP Blandon and CP West Laurel.

Reading Line
Westbound Norfolk Southern merchandise train on the Reading Line in Lyons, Pennsylvania
Overview
TypeFreight rail
SystemNorfolk Southern Railway
StatusOperational
LocaleEastern Pennsylvania
TerminiWyomissing Junction in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Operation
OpenedMay 11, 1859
OwnerNorfolk Southern Railway
Operator(s)Norfolk Southern Railway
Technical
Line length37 Miles
Number of tracks1-2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

The line opened as the East Pennsylvania Railroad on May 11, 1859, connecting Allentown with Reading.[1] This railroad became part of the Reading Railroad, and carried traffic from the Allentown area to their main line. In 1976, The Reading Railroad was acquired by Conrail, which continued to use the line as a conduit between North Jersey and the rest of the country. When Conrail was split in 1999, Norfolk Southern was assigned the line.

On March 14, 2018, Norfolk Southern increased speeds along the Reading Line from 50 mph (80 km/h) to 60 mph (97 km/h) at 33 grade crossings and from 55 mph (89 km/h) to 60 mph (97 km/h) at 3 grade crossings. The speed change was intended to increase the efficiency of rail operations and improve the flow of vehicular traffic at grade crossings.[2]

gollark: We no longer deploy [DATA EXPUNGED].
gollark: They can still be annoying during development, even if you do find them.
gollark: That is true, but they should also receive more scrutiny and testing.
gollark: Even the biggest projects still have exploitable issues.
gollark: Pretty hard.

References
  1. "About Us". Allentown & Auburn Railroad. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  2. "Norfolk Southern to increase speed of trains on Reading Line". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
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