USA: Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad acquired the 9 km Locust Valley Line in Pennsylvania from Locust Valley Coal Co with effect from June 8.
RBMN has operated the line from Laurel Jct to Mahanoy City since it was returned to service in 2006, and said ownership means it will be better able to pursue industrial development along the route.
'This acquisition continues our efforts to acquire and operate contiguous railroad lines in our service territory', said CEO Andy Muller Jr. 'Our efforts to require county-owned railroads in the region to privatise and sell their assets is part of our overall strategy to bring our award-winning service to more areas in our service territory. We believe through our economies of scale that we can deliver better service at lower prices to customers throughout the region.'