Railroading’s ‘Rising Stars’ share their views on the industry’s top challenges
8/11/2021
By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor
What are the greatest challenges facing the railroad industry today?
That’s what Progressive Railroading recently asked the young professionals who the magazine selected as recipients of this year’s Rising Stars Awards. Their answers touched on a range of topics, from technology and automation, to workforce recruitment and retention, to competition and customer service.
While they offer a range of perspectives as a result of their career experiences, many of these up-and-coming industry leaders believe rail-related businesses will have to continue to address the evolving challenge of doing business during a global pandemic.
Following are the Rising Stars’ responses.
Harrison “Chase” Armstrong, vice president, commercial development, R. J. Corman Railroad Group LLC:
“Pandemic challenges we faced in 2020 and into 2021 proved that the industry is versatile and essential. We learned the importance of adaptability under all circumstances. The railroad industry is a solid career path, and recruitment of the younger generations for all aspects of the railroads and contracting roles is crucial for the long-term success and continual advancement in the industry.”
Troy Banks, manager, Huey P. Long Bridge/Facilities, New Orleans Public Belt Railroad:
“I personally believe the rail industry's biggest challenge is the lack of technology. While technology is improving, we are still far behind other industries in this area.”
Stephani Bazata, principal consultant-IT, Union Pacific Railroad:
“From my vantage point, the biggest challenge we face is evolving our technologies to keep up with the pace at which the world, and specifically the logistics industry, is transforming digitally. Balancing legacy systems, processes and controls rooted in an extensive and rich history, while growing to leverage bleeding edge technology, is a real challenge. Our next generation of railroad workers and customers are digitally native and will demand a rich digital user experience. The transportation landscape is changing with autonomous technology and environmental considerations. We need to be ready.”
Christopher Bennett, director of the Public Safety Coordination Center, CSX:
“The rail industry’s biggest challenge is itself. It is a long-standing industry that can be complacent due to its past success. This can stifle the industry’s ability to reach its full potential and opens the door to legislation that attempts to force the industry’s evolution.
“It can also discourage railroads from changing current business models or fostering radical innovation. I am proud that CSX recognizes the need to reinvent itself and break through the complacency. This sets unprecedented trends for other roads to follow, which moves our industry out of its own way.”
“The biggest challenge we face is evolving our technologies to keep up with the pace at which the world, and specifically the logistics industry, is transforming digitally.”— Stephani Barzata, Union Pacific Railroad
Mohit Bhat, vice president of innovation, platforms and data, CN:
“The biggest challenge we are currently facing in the rail industry — and all businesses and in general worldwide — is the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Of course, another critical area of focus is constantly trying to improve our operational efficiency. The next biggest challenge for us is driving container traffic from truck to rail while delivering excellent customer service and managing operational efficiency. This is a complex balancing act between what we are achieving from a technological perspective with advances in innovation that will significantly help to optimize the way we currently do things.”
Erika Bruhnke, vice president, training services, RailPros:
“Adopting technology at the speed in which technology is changing. It takes us so long to implement, we are already outdated by the time we turn ‘it’ on, whatever ‘it’ may be. Let’s also not forget that railroading is a well-established and mature industry. We can often be set in our ways. We shouldn’t let the phrase ‘we have always done it this way’ deter us from exploring new technology.
“Strictly speaking from a training perspective, our industry is quite behind the curve. It is amazing some of the advancements that have been made in the field of learning and development. We just need to be open to something new and different.”
Amanda DeCesare, project manager, public projects, CSX:
“Personally, my biggest challenge has been finding that balance between being a mother and having a career. We welcomed my first child just two years into my career at CSX, and as a young working mother, I definitely struggled finding a balance between my high expectations for my own work performance and the all-consuming task of being a mother.
“With strong support from my husband and some conversations with my manager, I have been able to be successful as both a mom and a railroader. I firmly believe that any challenge you face can be overcome with open communication and a willingness to problem-solve.”
“The rail industry’s biggest challenge is itself. It is a long-standing industry that can be complacent due to its past success.” — Christopher Bennett, CSX
Judith Maribel Espino Gonzalez, superintendent, international border operations, Kansas City Southern de Mexico:
“From my experience, I think one of the biggest challenges is reducing variability in the execution of our operations. In our pursuit to achieve consistency, the different groups in charge of the operation have to deal with a whole variety of factors related to changes in demand and volumes, resource utilization and availability, safety incidents, crew behavior and even acts of God that may result in service outages.
“There will always be a level of uncertainty, just like in any industry, but it is our responsibility to determine the best practices and standardize as much as possible.”
Antonio Frazier, general manager of transportation, Rocky Mountain service unit, Union Pacific Railroad:
“The biggest challenge is providing excellent customer service with the increased transpacific demand of goods between Asia and the United States. Additionally, government grants to explore autonomous trucking as an alternative to transportation with railroads.”
Carl Garrison, assistant vice president mechanical, Union Pacific Railroad:
“The biggest challenge facing the rail industry is growing (not just volume, but achieving a greater share of all logistics spending) while improving productivity and reducing GHG emissions.”
Matt Hemsath, senior project manager, Archer Western Construction LLC:
“The biggest challenge I see is the lack of the next generation entering the workforce in the ‘less glamorous’ occupations. The industry needs to make a concerted effort to recruit and inform the next generation about the benefits of working in the rail and construction industries, from the trades to management, as they are very solid and long-lasting careers.”
Kimberly Howe, logistics manager, Siemens Mobility Inc.:
“Until trains can compete with the availability, speed and flexibility that cars and planes can offer, the perception of larger-scale train usage will be hard to change.”
Brian Lapp, senior vice president, chief safety officer, New Jersey Transit:
“The biggest challenge I see for the rail industry, especially passenger rail, is rebuilding the trust in our customers to come back to our system in a post-pandemic world. As remote work and remote schooling start to taper off, we need to provide our customers a clean, safe and reliable mode of transportation to get them back to their normal lives.”
Joangelie Lind, senior manager of commercial analytics, Florida East Coast Railway:
“The demand in supply and constraint in capacity.”
“The biggest challenge I see is the lack of the next generation entering the workforce in the ‘less glamorous’ occupations.” — Matt Hemsath, Archer Western Construction LLC
Laura Mason, executive vice president of major program delivery, Amtrak:
“Attracting more people to our industry. Looking out over the next 20 years, we have an incredible amount of work to do to modernize, rehabilitate, and expand our infrastructure and services. We will need to recruit more people from school and from other industries and open our minds up to bringing in people at all levels who don't have rail experience, but can bring valuable insights.”
Charlie Monte Verde, vice president of strategic planning, Genesee Valley Transportation Co. Inc.:
“Accommodating the need for comprehensive transportation on the American rail network. It is a symbiotic relationship, freight and passenger rail, and a forward-thinking perspective across our industry is essential to the ideal of a truly powerful nation. In many ways, as goes this thing of ours, so goes the American dream.”
Preston Nelson, vice president of operations, Watco:
“I believe the industry’s biggest challenge is our new workforce. The next generation entering the workforce are people who had the importance of a college degree pushed on them their entire lives. Now they have graduated and most have accumulated tremendous amounts of student loans and expect jobs with significantly higher salaries on Day 1.
“And for those who don’t elect academia, those families aren’t sitting around the dinner table talking to their kids about railroad industry like they are plumbers, electricians and the military for example because I think they just don’t know enough about the industry, what it has to offer and how rewarding a career in it truly is.
“So, as the current workforce looks to the next chapter in their lives, our industry must work harder than ever to find ways to get talented, committed and motivated people into entry level positions because we cannot provide a high level of service to our customers without them.”
Andrea Niethold, director of U.S. government affairs, CN:
“A major challenge we all face in the industry is keeping trespassers off railroad tracks. The public often fails to understand the dangers of railroad property. We need to start rail safety education at a young age, and normalize the idea that it can take a train a full mile to stop after the brakes are applied.”
Nicole Ochroch, associate engineer, Delaware River Port Authority/ Port Authority Transit Corp.:
“The rail industry's biggest challenges include managing aging infrastructure, unpredictable funding sources, and the lag between technological innovation and industry adoption.”
Marcus Parrott, general director of signal engineering, BNSF Railway Co.:
“The industry's continued challenge will be to adapt and innovate with technology in light of future demand; automation in competing modalities; and broadening environmental objectives.”
“Now more than ever, the industry must cast a wider net to find and attract new talent to railroading, including women, minorities and others historically underrepresented in the workforce.” — Carmen Wallace Givens, Kansas City Southern
Ashley Reid, assistant superintendent, southern Alberta territory, Canadian Pacific:
“There is no true education that prepares you to be a railroader. It is a unique environment that often takes years of experience to truly understand how to be effective, and I find the biggest challenge is how to proactively bring people on board and expose them to as much of the vast experience and different facets of the railway, before the wisdom departs.”
Kristen Scully, director of revenue, costing analysis, Canadian Pacific:
“Climate change is a risk that will disrupt our environment and the people within it, and is one of the challenges that the rail industry needs to consider. I think this challenge also presents an opportunity for our industry to build on an already environmentally superior mode of transportation by incorporating environmental, social and governance strategies.
“These strategies will enable companies to enhance sustainable rail transportation and drive long-term value. This includes adapting our business through efficient operations and investments in technology to confront climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Nick Troutman, director of mechanical, fleet and environmental, Pioneer Lines:
“The industry is constantly evolving and trying to stay ahead of the curve, and adapting can be challenging. But, at the same time, it's exciting to see the advancements that are being made and imagine what the future will bring.”
Carmen Wallace Givens, signal project engineer, Kansas City Southern:
“Improving diversity. The national shortage of people entering science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields means the railroad industry must compete with other transportation modes to recruit and retain workers to fill positions left open by retirees. This has forced companies to recognize the need to take a more aggressive approach in their commitments to diversity.
“Now more than ever, the industry must cast a wider net to find and attract new talent to railroading, including women, minorities and others historically underrepresented in the workforce.”
Sean Winkler, director, Tai Ginsberg & Associates LLC:
“[The greatest challenge] remains passenger rail. You cannot participate in a Railroad Day on Capitol Hill without hearing how America has the best freight railroad network in the world, and this is true. However, despite numerous possible regional rail corridors with the populations to support it, we lack reliable intercity rail outside of the Northeast Corridor.
“Policymakers, host railroads and Amtrak all need to reevaluate how the railroad network and market has evolved since Amtrak's creation in 1970. Clearly, a federally backed, quasi-monopoly operator model has failed to produce the passenger railroad network the country deserves. Clearly, the continued public focus on high-speed rail and maglev technologies causes us to overlook the established and reliable railroad network we already have.
“I think all stakeholders must reevaluate our current system, create competition, target investments and allow states and local governments the same network access rights that Amtrak enjoys, with Surface Transportation Board oversight.”