Reading Line
| Reading Line | |
|---|---|
Freight rail | |
| System | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Operator(s) | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| History | |
| Opened | May 11, 1859 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 37 Miles |
| Number of tracks | 1-2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Reading Line is a main freight line in
Northern New Jersey and Allentown, Pennsylvania
to points west and south.
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.
History
19th century
The line opened as the
Reading Railroad
, and carried traffic from the Allentown area to their main line.
20th century
In 1976, The Reading Railroad was acquired by
Norfolk Southern
was assigned the line.
21st century
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 was intended to increase the efficiency of rail operations and improve the flow of vehicular traffic at grade crossings.[2]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reading Line.
- ^ "About Us". Allentown & Auburn Railroad. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ "Norfolk Southern to increase speed of trains on Reading Line". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- [https://conrailphotos.thecrhs.org/galleries/conrails-reading-line "Conrail's Reading Line" at Conrail