Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett recently visited the headquarters of the Reading and Northern Railroad in Port Clinton.

During the hourlong visit, the governor, accompanied by Reading & Northern Railroad owner and CEO Andy Muller Jr., toured the facilities and talked about plans for the future of the railroad.Muller began the visit by thanking Corbett for his administration's support of the railroad's ambitious plan to build a new railroad bridge across the Lehigh River near Nesquehoning. This $14 million project has been in the works for over a decade.In August, the commonwealth pledged $10 million toward the cost of the bridge with the railroad putting up the rest of the money. When completed, the bridge will offer the most direct and efficient route between Philadelphia and northeast Pennsylvania and points beyond.During the tour Muller described the process by which he built the railroad from a few miles to its current status as the largest privately owned railroad in Pennsylvania.Corbett also visited the dispatching center that controls train activities over the 320-mile railroad, as well as the engine house where the 30-plus locomotives are maintained and repaired. The tour ended with a visit to Muller's vintage private rail car, which is used for excursions along the railroad.Reading & Northern is the largest privately owned railroad in the state. It operates a 320-mile regional rail system in nine counties in eastern Pennsylvania and employs over 180 employees at the railroad and related businesses.In 2013, over 85,000 carloads moved over Reading & Northern railroad lines.