Reading & Northern Sets a First-Half Carload Record

USA: Reading & Northern set a first-half carload record with 19,000 loads in 2026 as traffic rose 20% and the Pennsylvania railroad expanded its covered-hopper fleet for anthracite shipments.

Freight Growth Drives the First-Half Record

Reading & Northern handled 19,000 carloads during the first six months of 2026, its highest first-half volume on record. Overall traffic ran 20% above the same period last year.

Frac sand and rock salt generated the largest increases. Forest products remained the railroad’s leading commodity with more than 5,000 carloads, while anthracite accounted for more than 4,000.

Covered Hoppers Expand Anthracite Capacity

The traffic milestone coincides with a substantial fleet investment. In late July, the railroad finalized a $4 million agreement for 124 covered hoppers from CPKC, the largest single railcar purchase in Reading & Northern’s history.

It also agreed to buy 30 covered hoppers from another car owner. The 154-car addition brings the railroad’s fleet to 2,000 cars.

The equipment is intended for Pennsylvania anthracite moving to electric-arc furnace steel mills in the United States and Canada. Because most anthracite supplied to these mills must be shipped dried, the traffic requires covered hoppers.

Reading & Northern expects its EAF-related business to increase 10% in 2026. The newly acquired cars are in condition to enter service quickly, allowing the railroad to assign more equipment to customers shipping dried anthracite.

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Fleet Ownership Supports Freight Customers

The railroad’s official history says it began purchasing cars in 1995 to gain greater control over the supply of empty hoppers for coal customers. Its owned fleet exceeded 1,000 cars by the end of 2013.

Based in Port Clinton, Reading & Northern operates more than 400 miles of track in eastern Pennsylvania and serves over 80 freight customers. The latest acquisition continues that ownership model as traffic reaches a new first-half high.

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