Tomeka Watson Bryant, 34
General manager
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

Education: Degree in exercise science, Elon University; MBA, Pfeiffer University.

Job responsibilities: Oversee daily operations, ensuring safe, efficient and compliant train movements; customer service and track maintenance for the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB). This includes managing 176 employees.

Briefly describe your career path.
I started my railroad career in operations, moved into a safety and training role, and was later promoted to a position in sales and marketing. I now serve as the general manager of the NOPB.

What sparked your interest in the rail industry?
I am a second-generation railroader, so the railroad has always been a part of my life.

What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My very first job was in retail at Levi’s and Dockers. I learned how to fold clothes properly.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
Most people are surprised to learn that I am an All-American college athlete and a member of the Elon Hall of Fame.

What’s one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned so far in your career?
The most valuable lesson I have learned in my career is that your employees are your most valuable asset; and that safety is never “fixed,” you must actively work on it every day.

How do you stay resilient and motivated when things get tough at work, in the industry or in life?
When things get tough, I usually call my dad and other mentors I have in the industry. I also lean heavily on my faith.

If you could share a meal with anyone in the world today, who would it be and why?
I would definitely pick Beyoncé! However, if I had to choose someone in the rail industry, I would pick [BNSF Railway Co. President and CEO] Katie Farmer. With both women, I’d love to learn the secret to their success from the perspective of balancing family, career and life.

In your view, what is the rail industry’s greatest challenge today?
From my perspective, technology and visibility continue to be the biggest challenges facing the rail industry today.

While Britain’s railway continues to be one of the safest across Europe, the report underscores significant issues in operational performance and financial sustainability, particularly concerning Network Rail’s funding and maintenance strategies.

ORR praises the railway industry for strong progress in addressing overdue structure assessments and mitigating weather-related risks, achievements made under heightened regulatory scrutiny. However, operational performance remains an area of concern, with record high rail cancellations primarily attributed to train operating companies, signalling ongoing reliability challenges for passengers.

Financially, Network Rail demonstrated resilience by securing £325M in efficiency savings for the fiscal year ending March 2025, surpassing its target by £62M. All regions met or exceeded their renewal plans, bar Eastern, which delivered 99%. Despite these gains, a glaring funding gap of £488M persists in England and Wales, prompting ORR to call for urgent remedial action. It had aimed to reduce the deficit to £450M by the end of the 2024-25 financial year.

The report reveals that Network Rail’s efficiency improvements are threatened by inflationary pressures and escalating costs. The organisation’s five-year plan for Control Period 7 (CP7), 2024 to 2029, leans more heavily on maintenance than on full asset renewal due to constrained funding, raising concerns about the long-term reliability of railway infrastructure. ORR warns that reduced renewal work could necessitate speed restrictions and lead to increased service disruptions.

Network Rail’s management of its renewal programme has already adjusted to these pressures, scaling back future renewals compared to initial plans. This retrenchment heightens the risk of asset deterioration, potentially increasing failures and costs in subsequent control periods. ORR acknowledges the challenging financial context, while calling on Network Rail to maintain transparency and continue exploring funding solutions to preserve network condition.

A substantial portion of Network Rail’s £1.7bn risk fund for unforeseen costs has been utilised, with only £760M remaining as it enters the second year of the control period. This reserve covers input price risks and incentives linked to performance shortfalls, emphasising the need for prudent financial management going forward.

On asset reliability, the network remains stable in the short term, supported by effective renewal delivery in the past year. Nevertheless, ORR highlights the critical importance of robust maintenance practices to compensate for reduced renewals. An independent review found Network Rail currently has adequate maintenance capacity but flagged potential risks for scaling up maintenance activities in later years of the control period.

A significant concern remains over Network Rail’s handling of structures and buildings examinations and assessments. The regulator has escalated its concerns due to backlogs in inspections that fall short of internal standards. If not addressed, this could risk undetected faults, safety hazards and operational disruptions, with implications for passengers, staff and the wider public. Both ORR and Network Rail have committed to commissioning independent expert reviews and developing comprehensive plans to address these deficiencies.

Following earlier intervention, Network Rail has taken steps to rectify overdue infrastructure assessments that had caused regulatory alarm, particularly regarding the condition of bridges and other structures. The regulator notes encouraging developments in how the rail industry gauges “reasonable practicability” in health and safety decisions, a move that could reduce the likelihood of costly future interventions.

Furthermore, Network Rail experienced an unprecedented surge in network access applications from operators this year, but its decision-making process has struggled to keep pace. ORR stresses the necessity for Network Rail to accelerate approvals to support smoother service delivery and operator planning.

Safety and performance

Safety performance remains a notable highlight in ORR’s latest report, with Network Rail maintaining good health and safety standards and overall train accident risk holding steady compared to previous years. Nevertheless, serious incidents persist, notably 29 high potential risk events largely centred on level crossings. The regulator will begin inspections across all network regions to scrutinise how well these dangers are being managed.

The report also revisits the passenger train collision at Talerddig in October 2023, which resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries. This incident raises fresh concerns amid an increasing number of signal passed at danger events throughout the rail system. ORR calls for a unified industry approach to address risks associated with train overspeeding, emphasising the need for stronger leadership and clear accountability at every organisational level as rail reforms progress.

On the performance front, passenger journeys rose by 7% in the year to March 2025, reaching 1.73bn trips, indicating growing demand post-pandemic. Punctuality remained stable, with 84% of trains arriving within three minutes of schedule, while Network Rail succeeded in cutting delays it directly caused. Scotland stood out as the only region to meet government targets for cancellation rates.

Despite these gains, cancellations across Great Britain soared to a record 4.1%, driven predominantly by train operating companies, up from 3.8% the previous year. Network Rail failed to meet national benchmarks for reliability and punctuality, with specific enforcement actions taken in its Wales & Western region to compel improved performance. Other areas, including the Eastern region, are also reportedly seeing better operational plans emerging.

The ORR has urged Network Rail to expedite decisions on granting train operators access to the network. Current short-term access rights have been criticised for hindering open access and freight operators’ ability to plan effectively and invest in necessary rolling stock and personnel. This bottleneck threatens to stymie competition and service expansion in the rail sector.

ORR chief executive John Larkinson said: “The mainline rail network is at a turning point. Rail reform presents an opportunity to do things differently, working better together to improve the experience of all rail users, but its full implementation is some years away and the issues we have raised will not be solved by rail reform alone.

“Overall Network Rail has performed well in a tight financial environment, but it will need to focus relentlessly on every aspect of how it plans and delivers, because there is little margin for error in its regulatory settlement.”

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Steve Berish, 31
President, general manager/owner
Davenport Industrial Railroad

Nominator’s Quote: “In the five-plus years I have known Steve, not only has he done a masterful job as general manager, but he has built upon his skills as a track specialist to become a conductor on Davenport Industrial Railroad. More than that, through his own company Resourceful Rail LLC, he has acquired a second short line and is starting the now-dormant railroad from scratch and is becoming increasingly active in ASLRRA.” — John Howell, Davenport Industrial Railroad (DIR)

Education: Bachelor of Science in civil engineering with a minor in business, University of Toledo.

Job responsibilities: In addition to general administration work, I also work as a marketing manager, conductor, track inspector, mechanic and more. I also own West Erie Short Line (WESL) in Erie, Pennsylvania, through my company, Resourceful Rail, where I serve as the president and wear many of the same hats.

Describe your career path.
After graduating from Toledo, I worked for Acme Construction, a railroad construction contractor, and ended up as their southern region manager. I then started Resourceful Rail to buy and sell railroad equipment and acquire short lines. In late 2019, two business partners and I formed DIR, and after a brief stint with another railroad contractor to take some pressure off of DIR during COVID-19, [I’ve] been here ever since.

How did you find your way into the rail industry?
You could say that Thomas the Tank Engine is where it all started, but from about my sophomore year of high school onward, I knew I wanted to work in the industry in some capacity. Through my college co-op program, I interned with CSX and Acme Construction and started putting down roots in the industry prior to graduation.

What was your very first job and what did it teach you?
My first job was washing dishes at Panera Bread, but my first railroad job was working the bike-aboard program for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. I learned basic railroad safety and customer service while riding the rails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Still the best job I’ve ever had.

What’s something about you that might surprise people?
My brother and I own a race car, a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor to be exact. He and I, along with some friends, race it in the 24 Hours of Lemons series at various tracks around the Midwest.

What is a valuable lesson that you’ve learned so far in your career?
A friend in the industry once told me, “It doesn’t matter what your title is or what your business card says, at the end of the day you want to be known as someone who is reliable and that people can come to you for help and answers.”

I think some people get caught up in titles and chasing the big corner office, which I understand. Nonetheless, I have found that delivering quality service, jumping in where needed and following through with your words and actions are a heck of a lot more important than what comes after your name in an email signature.

How do you stay motivated and resilient when things get tough in life or on the job?
My team of employees at both railroads is what keeps me going. As an entrepreneur, I fully believe that I work for them, not the other way around. I try my best to make DIR and WESL safe and enjoyable places to work, and I take a lot of pride in seeing all of our team members thrive.

If you could share a meal with anyone in the world today, who would it be and why?
I would love to have dinner with anyone that has started and/or run a short line. I’ve been privileged to have met and talked with many people that have been successful in the short- line world, and there is always an interesting story for how they got into the industry. They always seem to be very interesting people.

What do you think is the rail industry’s biggest challenge today?
I’d say the short-sighted vision of Class I railroads. Wall Street has forced many of these companies to focus on cost reduction, operating ratios and profit margins above all else. Meanwhile, there’s a large group of shippers that are frustrated with inflexible pricing, spotty service and a lack of technological innovation, among other gripes. There seems to be a lack of capacity for meaningful traffic growth, and if this trend continues, then it spells trouble for the entire industry.