Editorial Riding the rails to redevelopment

by Ruth Isenberg

The proposal for a regular weekend train excursion between Pittston and Jim Thorpe is being greeted with enthusiasm on social media—and with good reason. The Reading & Northern trains are slated to make stops in White Haven and Mountain Top, and while it is not known whether passengers will be able to board from those locations, the possibilities are intriguing.

New shops on Main Street in White Haven give the town an artistic air. The promised reopening of the D&L Trail from White Haven to Rockport provides opportunities for hiking and learning about local history. Restaurants are available to provide lunch (and ice cream). There are lots of good reasons passengers might want to stop off in White Haven and pick up the train as it returns to Pittston.

With a three-hour window promised to passengers for their visit to Jim Thorpe, offering a bicycle car on the train would give people the chance to bike from White Haven to Jim Thorpe, and catch the train back for the more difficult, uphill part of the ride.

The RBM&N press release did not provide details about whether passengers will be able to purchase tickets and board in White Haven, but it could be a smart move, opening the experience to riders from the Poconos. White Haven and the railroad will both benefit from working together.