The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe broke ridership records for 2014 and had several additions to their regularly scheduled operations.

Bike trains from Jim Thorpe to White Haven as well as new community events were added over the course of the season.New communities included Tunkhannock, Pottsville, Minersville, Schuylkill Haven, Duryea and White Haven.Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway announced recently that it had over 72,295 passengers in 2014."We are overwhelmed by the tremendous support from the communities we worked with this season," CEO Andy Muller said. "We are thrilled to announce we are gearing up for another busy schedule in 2015."Ridership expanded due to high volumes of requests for additional trips.Regularly scheduled trips demanded schedule additions due to fast sellouts. Expansions of the Santa Claus Specials to reach many new communities along the railroad were a major part in this ridership increase. Trips ran in Pottsville, Minersville, Tunkhannock, Schuylkill Haven, Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe.In total, 19,821 passengers visited with Santa through the holiday season, making this a record ridership year for the Santa Claus Specials.In addition, the Mountain Top Rotary Club, Anthracite Express Trip and Annville Methodist Church all added local community rides to benefit various community organizations.Pottsville arranged its first train with Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway consisting of two trips from the Union Station.In spring, the popular Bike Trains began running from Jim Thorpe to White Haven, where passengers were let off the train for a leisurely bike ride back to Jim Thorpe.After two sold-out trains in June, additional trains were added over the summer and fall. Fall foliage trips were as popular this past October, having many sold-out daylong excursions that required an additional two trips to be added by mid-September.Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway is owned and operated under Reading and Northern Railroad in Hamburg.