Reading & Northern Railroad made a $10 million offer in early October to purchase the railroad assets of the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority, which R.J. Corman currently operates.

In an email to Authority Chairman Scott Linde, Reading & Northern owner and CEO Andy Muller also committed to building a passenger train station in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and running passenger excursion trains to and from that station, including the popular tourist destination of Jim Thorpe, Pa.

“We have read in the local press that the Redevelopment Authority is considering putting its rail assets out for bid for long-term lease or sale,” Muller wrote. “Reading & Northern is prepared to bring its award-winning passenger excursion service to Wilkes-Barre, but only if we are able to reach an agreement to purchase the line.”

The railroad estimates that the track needs at least $2 million in work to operate passenger trains and is also committed to “aggressively” improving and expanding freight service.

“R&N is prepared to enter into sale negotiations immediately, and R&N is willing to close prior to the expiration of the existing R J Corman operating lease,” Muller wrote. “We stand ready and willing to meet with the RDA and other entities in Luzerne County in order to bring tourism to Wilkes-Barre and improve local freight service to this region of Luzerne County.”

The county council-appointed redevelopment authority board members have advocated keeping the railroad under public ownership, the Times-Leader newspaper reported. And because the authority still owes the county $3.28 million loaned in 2001 for the original acquisition of the line, the county council authorized litigation that was filed in July 2025 against the authority.

R.J. Corman, which took over from Luzerne-Susquehanna Railroad a couple of years ago, has a contract that expires in October 2026, according to the paper.

—M.T. Burkhart