JIM THORPE, Pa. — The Reading & Northern Railroad has resolved its tax dispute with the borough of Jim Thorpe and will resume passenger rail service to and from the community, the railroad announced. The first trips resulting from the agreement will come Saturday, Feb. 15, as part of Jim Thorpe’s Winterfest.
The R&N had shut down its Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway operation, based in Jim Thorpe, in November after the borough and its school district sued the railroad, saying it owed money from a local amusement tax [see “Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway to cease operations,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 16, 2019.] The suits were dropped in November, paving the way for the agreement announced Tuesday.
“We are pleased to resume service to and from Jim Thorpe and put the amusement tax issue behind us,” R&N owner/CEO Andy Muller Jr. said in a press release. “We have consistently stated that we are not now, and have never been, an amusement. … We are delighted that the borough leadership has decided to work with us on continuing our tradition of bringing visitors to Jim Thorpe and offering train rides sharing the history of Jim Thorpe and the region to people from all over the country.”
The railroad said it would announce its full passenger schedule “in the near future.”
