The return of passenger trains - one of the biggest developments of the year in the Tamaqua area - got a kick-start one year ago with the announcement of a partnership between the borough and railroad.

At a Jan. 21 town council meeting, President Dave Mace said the borough would join with the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad to construct a $51,000 concourse deck to enable visitors and tourists to disembark train coaches at Tamaqua’s 1874 Philadelphia and Reading Railroad depot.

Tamaqua is a railroad town but the last time regular train excursions operated in the community was in the 1990s.

“We have the opportunity to make an improvement to allow passenger service to return to Tamaqua,” said Mace, chairman of the railroad committee. He said the borough had received private donations toward the cost and the railroad would do all of the construction.

The development was seen as big news, focusing attention on a rail line through Tamaqua that is one of the oldest in the world and a local claim to fame.

Many town leaders envision a return of passenger trains to be a much needed spark of activity in Tamaqua, the economic hub of eastern Schuylkill County and site of many restoration initiatives.

Tamaqua’s depot was once the center of daily life and the focal point of a rail industry that built the town.

The Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company was incorporated Sept. 14, 1829, to construct a railroad instead of a canal due to rugged terrain that made a canal impossible. It began operating on Nov. 18, 1831, and is still in use today using the same line as originally surveyed.

In fact, in 2019 the line was recognized as the oldest active coal-hauling railroad in the New World.

But the railroad also provided a popular passenger service, according to information compiled by the National Park Service.

More than 40 passenger trains stopped at the Tamaqua station daily during peak years in the first half of the 20th century.

As automobiles gained prominence and trends changed, passenger service declined. The final, regular passenger train out of Tamaqua left on June 28, 1963.

In June of 2020, railroad workers began construction of the macadam passenger platform, completing the project in about two months. More than 120 feet long, it features Victorian style gooseneck lights, benches and ornate wrought iron railings. Its installation allows train excursions in and out of the community by giving passengers an easy access to the train coaches.

By fall, trains were running.

Social distancing associated with emergence of the coronavirus impacted seating arrangements, but the railroad made allowances and the first excursions were sold out.

Passenger trains brought visitors from Berks County to spend evenings dining in Tamaqua, enjoying “A Taste of Italy” at La Dolce Casa.

Business owners in the area expressed optimism and even excitement for what they believe is an economic driver to start boosting commerce in town.