Reading & Northern Railroad announced this week that Jim Raffa has been promoted to the position of chief marketing officer.

Raffa began his railroad career in 1989 with Reading & Northern’s predecessor, the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad, as a trackman. After the Reading & Northern Railroad was formed in December 1990, he transitioned to coal traffic manager and real estate manger.

In 2007, Raffa accepted an ownership position with Lehigh Railway and Luzerne & Susquehanna Railway. In 2020, after the sale of those lines to R.J. Corman, Raffa returned to Reading & Northern to manage the petrochemical and minerals accounts, including the natural gas and Marcellus Shale business.

He was named executive vice president of marketing and sales last year. In addition to the petrochemical and mineral business, Raffa assumed management of Reading & Northern’s industrial development department.

In his new capacity, Raffa will be assisting CEO Andy Muller Jr., Executive Vice President Christina Muller-Levan and President Wayne Michel on strategic and commercial issues, including railroad acquisitions and the potential Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger. Raffa will continue to report to Michel.

When Raffa was hired, Michel said: “Jim brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his time serving at the Lehigh Railway and Luzerne & Susquehanna Railway. His knowledge of the region and his experience handling frac sand opportunities are critical to s as we continue to grow our railroad and business.”

On Tuesday, Muller Jr. noted that: “Jim has done an amazing job in growing our frac sand business, as he oversaw the creation and building of our Tunkhannock transload operation, which will handle over 4,000 carloads of sand this year. As we embark on expansion opportunities, including in Luzerne County, Jim is the perfect person to ensure that we offer exceptional service to the new Reading & Northern customers as well as continuing our focus on service to all our existing customers.”

Raffa has over 35 years of railroad experience, specializing in business development, project management, and marketing and operations. He was born and raised in Schuylkill County and has a passion for railroads, especially around his hometown of Schuylkill Haven. He graduated from Penn State University in 1988 and has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with a minor in secondary education. He has also completed some graduate courses, working toward a master’s degree in education.

Reading & Northern Railroad, with corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 80 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Wyoming.

It has expanded operations over the last 40 years and projects 40,000 carloads of freight in 2026 (which removes over 220,000 trucks from the highway), while its Passenger Department welcomed over 410,000 customers in 2025.

Reading & Northern operates its freight and steam- and diesel-powered passenger excursions over 400 miles of track, owns almost 2,000 freight cars and employs over 400 people. Reading & Northern has been repeatedly honored as one of the premier railroads in the nation, including being named Regional Railroad of the Year in 2020 by Railway Age magazine.