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.
5-590: The line is mostly double-track with the only area of single track between CP Blandon and CP West Laurel. Trains go faster on this line than most others. The line opened as the East Pennsylvania Railroad on May 11, 1859, connecting Allentown with Reading . The railroad became part of the Reading Railroad , and carried traffic from the Allentown area to their main line. In 1976, The Reading Railroad
10-718: The Reading Company, leased the line in 1869. As the East Pennsylvania Branch , the line was part of the Reading's through route between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , and Allentown. The line was transferred to Conrail on the Reading's bankruptcy in 1976. It is now part of the Norfolk Southern Railway 's Reading Line . The East Pennsylvania Railroad was chartered on March 9, 1856, as the Reading and Lehigh Railroad , but
15-525: 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 three grade crossings. The speed change
20-407: Was intended to increase the efficiency of rail operations and improve the flow of vehicular traffic at grade crossings. East Pennsylvania Railroad The East Pennsylvania Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in the state of Pennsylvania . It opened a line between Reading, Pennsylvania , and Allentown, Pennsylvania , in 1859. The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad , predecessor of
25-515: Was renamed in April 1857. It completed a line between Reading and Allentown on May 11, 1859. The opening of this line created a through route between Harrisburg and New York City . Philadelphia and Reading Railroad , predecessor of the Reading Company , leased the line in 1869. The East Pennsylvania continued to exist as a company, and would be merged along with the Reading into Conrail in 1976, as
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