JIM THORPE, Pa. — The impact of Reading & Northern’s passenger operations, which recently celebrated their 40th anniversary, may best be illustrated by this: A bank in Jim Thorpe — the home of R&N’s Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railroad tourist operation and primary destination for its weekend excursions — is closing a branch to address tourist-traffic congestion.
The Mauch Chunk Trust Co. bank in downtown Jim Thorpe, located in the town’s train station, will close that branch on Dec. 1, 2025, so the space can be repurposed to better address the tourist traffic, the company said on Friday (July 18, 2025). The decision was made in coordination with Carbon County commissioners “to support long-term improvements that will enhance the downtown visitor experience and improve pedestrian safety in one of the most visited destinations in the Pocono Mountains,” the company said in a press release. The county Welcome Center, also located at the station, sees some 400,000 visitors, a reflection of the community’s draw as a tourism destination that goes beyond the rail excursions.
“As tourism in Jim Thorpe has grown over the years, we’ve seen many of our Railroad Station customers increasingly using our North Street and other offices because they are easier to access and have better parking,” Mauch Chunk Trust Co. CEO Patrick H. Reilly said in the release, who also noted increased use of the bank’s mobile app. “Now, with the County’s exciting plans to enhance tourism access and safety, we’re honored to support these improvements that align with our community’s long-term growth.”
Reading & Northern this week noted in a press release that it had marked the 40th anniversary of its passenger operations on July 13, 2025. Those operations, which began in 1985 but were limited in the 1990s as the railroad grew in mileage and freight traffic, gained renewed focus with the launch of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railroad in 2005. Along with that operation, the R&N runs weekend excursions 10 months of the year from Reading and Pittston, Pa.; fall foliage trips to Jim Thorpe also run from Pottsville, Pa. More information is available at the R&N passenger website.
As a skeptic the closing may just be a part of a nationwide trend. Our town lost 2 branches. Many banks in this area have shut branches as traffic has decreased. Both large and small banks. Even this bank admits traffic has decreased.