FULL STEAM
Patriot Rail is redefining rail freight solutions that connect communities and industries, delivering locally and reaching nationally. We sit down with Tom Tisa, CCO, who outlines the company’s latest initiatives and projects
Writer: Lily Sawyer | Project Manager: Michael Sommerfield
STEAM AHEAD
Over the last few decades, North America’s rail freight industry has evolved, witnessing consolidation, efficiency-focused strategies, and technological advancements.
Today, it remains a crucial link in the supply chain, connecting businesses and markets across the continent and overseas.
“During the course of my 30+ years in the rail industry, I’ve seen a lot of change – particularly in how railroads operate and how much more efficient they’ve become,”
introduces Tom Tisa, CCO of Patriot Rail (Patriot), whose portfolio of short-line and regional freight railroads continues to grow.
With 32 short-line railroads across 23 states covering over 1,200 miles of track, the company has a national network in the US.
Its principal operations center around rail freight transportation and ancillary rail services, including 11 transloading locations and industrial development and railcar storage.
“We even have four excursion lines!” Tisa adds.
However, while rail remains a vital part of the freight network, competition from the trucking industry continues to increase.
“The challenge is that we haven’t
seen the growth in volume compared to other modes of transportation, especially given the improved productivity in rail freight operations,” he observes.
While Tisa believes that the industry’s current focus on
RAILPROS PARTNERSHIP
HOW HAS WORKING WITH RAILPROS ENABLED YOUR COMMUNICATION TEAM TO ACHIEVE STRONGER RESULTS?
Tom Tisa, CCO (TT): “Patriot has maintained a productive and ongoing collaboration with RailPros over the past year, focused on producing corporate, employee, and safety training videos.
“RailPros consistently delivers high-quality media featuring engaging visuals, crisp sound, and flawless editing - supported by smooth, professional project management. Their team stands out for its attention to detail and dedication to helping clients tell their stories effectively, making them highly recommended for top-tier media production and technical expertise.
“Since partnering with the RailPros team, we’ve been able to connect more deeply with our employees and communicate in new, engaging ways - using videography in job briefings, on our employee portal, in quarterly corporate videos, and through new safety training modules.
“We are currently testing the use of virtual reality in our training videos, allowing employees to conduct training directly on their mobile devices and tablets prior to job briefings and team discussions.
“This past August, the RailPros media production team filmed and produced our rebrand town hall, including event setup and management. Whether in studio or before a live audience, RailPros delivers a top-tier product.
“Our engineering and transportation departments have also utilized RailPros’ engineering and field services.”
HOW CAN VENDORS LIKE RAILPROS BE A STRONGER PARTNER TO THE PROCUREMENT TEAM?
TT: “We continue to see added value in working with a vendor like RailPros. Their expertise is a great complement to smaller operations such as short line railroads, where a slight extension of internal talent is often needed on a project basis.”
industrial development and short line engagement will lead to growth opportunities, he notes how freight rail also needs to see continual improvements in overall pricing to compete with the trucking sector.
“Competitive rates, combined with the outstanding first mile and final mile service that short lines provide, can together lead to increased market demand,” he posits.
ADVANCING INDUSTRY GROWTH
One way that Patriot is advancing growth in the rail freight sector is through industrial development.
As such, just outside Denver, Colorado, on the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad, it has partnered with the new Rocky Mountain Rail Park
(RMRP) to serve the Mountain states freight market beyond Colorado, including Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
The company recently announced the arrival of its second locomotive at the rail park, further developing its operations on the Front Range (FR) Railroad.
“We are excited about our recent expansion in Colorado, and to start serving the customers in this new rail park which will be operational by the end of the year,” says Tisa.
RMRP’s strategic location offers room to grow. Patriot’s transloading company HYDRA will use one of the sites at the rail park to set up an operation that offers truck-to-rail and rail-to-truck services for various commodities.
“The team is ready to assist and
“WE STAY FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND REGIONAL DYNAMICS WHILE UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL MARKET AND TRAFFIC FLOWS”
– TOM TISA, CCO, PATRIOT RAIL
guide customers with rail services solutions tailored to meet both their current needs and long-term goals, and we have the ability to invest where we see an attractive rate of return,” he details.
Elsewhere, the company is establishing a new industrial park in Denton, Texas, in partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on its main network.
“This multi-commodity transload facility will provide reliable,
competitive transload services and logistics solutions to customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area – one of North America’s fastestgrowing regions,” Tisa outlines.
Patriot looks forward to growing with CPKC as it continues to serve the cement, aggregate, and lumber markets, and creating a more sustainable supply chain for the region to meet its future needs.
“We expect this site to be operational by the end of 2026,” notes Tisa.
KEEPING TRANSPORTATION ON TRACK
True to its name, RailPros offers time-tested railroad expertise to support the transportation industry.
With over 25 years of experience, RailPros is moving full steam ahead as the premier engineering, diversified safety services, and technical and safety training company serving North America’s freight, transit, and industrial railroads and rail adjacent industries. With office locations spanning the US, Mexico, and Canada, RailPros helps its clients complete work safely, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to existing rail service.
Established in 2000 by two veteran rail professionals, the company has experienced steady, sustained growth from inception to date, turning 25 in 2025. Over the years, it has continuously introduced new services to its customer base, furthering its position as a trusted industry partner. RailPros serves customers that include Patriot Rail, all six Class 1 railroads, and several others in the freight, transit, passenger, utility, and adjacent communities. Through these partnerships, the company plays a crucial role in facilitating the safe and efficient movement of freight and provides services to the passenger rail and transit industry, which moves millions of people daily.
The company attributes much of its success to its dedication to providing excellent customer service. Deeply rooted in serving its clients, RailPros has earned its partners’ trust by consistently delivering services that meet or exceed expectations. Providing outstanding service remains a core pillar of the company’s operations, and it continues to offer the same attention to detail, principal-level involvement, and thoughtful consideration of customers’ needs that gave RailPros its start.
“Working with partners like Patriot Rail enable us to combine our skill sets with theirs, resulting in collaborations on projects that are defining the future of rail in North America.”
- Erika Bruhnke, Chief Sales & Growth Officer, RailPros
Another key factor that sets RailPros apart is its railspecific expertise and focus. The firm’s primary service sector is rail. The organization’s seasoned staff know the critical aspects of a successful rail operation, from their engineers to flaggers (Roadway-Workers-in-Charge), project managers to trainers, and safety leaders to strategic advisors. Where other firms may struggle, the RailPros team is experienced in overcoming common challenges and interacting with railroads and other railrelated entities. The company’s personnel include former railroad employees with deep roots in the rail industry who have guided thousands of projects and have the experience, training, and certifications necessary to keep projects running safely and efficiently. Because rail expertise has always been at the heart of the business,
over time the company’s list of offerings has naturally expanded into a full suite of services that allows it to use its rail-specific knowledge to address the needs of rail and rail adjacent customers.
ENGINEERING
RailPros’ engineering division provides licensed professional engineers with in-depth engineering design, planning, and services for rail and transit. With project experience throughout North America, the team’s railroad-focused expertise and industry knowledge allow it to provide clients with exceptional support. Some critical areas of any successful rail project include track engineering, structural engineering, and civil engineering, all of which RailPros can provide, along with qualified supporting teams dedicated to rail signal, communications, and system control needs.
The engineering division functions as more than just a service provider; it’s a partner that can handle every aspect of a project. With construction management, program and project management, and project controls capabilities, RailPros can guide customers from the initial planning stages through completion. The organization’s project and program management team has a history of extensive and diverse work and can assist with managing and delivering everything from a single project to an entire program of projects. Its construction management services, led by proactive staff who deeply understand rail construction, work hand in hand with project management to deliver a successful project. RailPros also offers project controls, providing clients with data analyses and realtime metrics about project status, risks, and quality.
FLAGGING/RWIC SERVICES
When a project requires work to be performed on or around live railroad tracks, safety is the top priority. RailPros provides safety services in the form of RoadwayWorkers-in-Charge (RWICs), commonly called flaggers — highly skilled individuals with in-depth rail knowledge and safety training. Flaggers are responsible for the safety of people and equipment working on and around live railroad tracks and for the safe passage of trains through the work zone. Qualified in various forms of railroad communication, RailPros flaggers ensure workers (and any
Our field services:
• Track Inspection
• Construction Observation
• Real Estate and Development
• RWIC / Railroad Flagging
• Railroad Coordination
• Construction Management
equipment they are utilizing) are not struck by trains or other on-track machinery.
RailPros is the largest provider of flagging services in North America. Every day, the company effectively dispatches rail professionals to job sites as flaggers. They work on projects of all sizes and durations and have provided flagging services for numerous capital and maintenance-of-way projects, including double track and siding, track rehabilitation, yard reconstruction, quiet zone construction, utility installations, and surveys. The company’s commitment to providing safe, high-quality service has landed it key clients over the years and secured its spot as the leader in the flagging space.
It is the only flagging/RWIC provider in the US serving all six Class 1 railroads, and it is the exclusive provider of flagging/RWIC services on numerous short-line and regional rail carriers.
CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION, REAL ESTATE, AND RIGHT OF WAY MANAGEMENT
RailPros’ construction observation group manages utility and construction projects from agreement execution through construction completion, working to reduce risk and variability to railroad operations and infrastructure from third-party, no-benefit projects. Before construction begins, RailPros’ licensed engineers identify noncompliance issues.
Then, once a project has completed the pre-construction requirements, experienced railroad professionals observe the third-party installation and escalate any items that do not meet the approved work plan for immediate resolution. By providing these layers of expert oversight, RailPros helps clients reduce risks, comply with engineering standards, and ultimately safeguard their operations and infrastructure.
The company also provides expertise in managing rail right-of-way and surplus, offering a full suite of services to
safeguard clients’ railroad property and ensure they are compensated accurately for third parties’ use and access. Offerings include third-party/utility management services, rental portfolio management services, and identification and rectification of encroachments. RailPros uses an approach called “Total Right of Way Management,” where it manages a request from its initial application through the completion of construction in the field, often involving permitting, observation, and flagging services.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL CONSULTING
RailPros’ strategic consulting team assists customers by providing the insight and framework needed to improve rail infrastructure, optimize capital investments, and support long-term growth. For example, the team offers industrial rail design services to industries such as food and beverage, aggregates, lumber, steel, grain, and chemicals, as well as deep-water ports and river ports. RailPros understands that rail is a critical component on any industrial site, adding land value, offering an alternative transportation option, and enabling the receipt of various commodities in bulk.
With its rail-specific expertise, the firm is an important partner for essential site development projects, specializing in tailored rail-design options that maximize a site’s potential while minimizing the overall rail footprint. Complementing these efforts, RailPros also offers track inspections. The company provides inspectors who are trained and qualified to identify non-compliance with federal standards and provide detailed instructions for initiating remedial actions and repairs, if needed. When a project is being planned or constructed on or near a railroad, the strategic consulting team can provide railroad coordinators who understand the challenges presented by each railroad’s specific requirements and can guide agencies and contractors from project planning through construction.
In addition, RailPros offers operations and maintenance support services, such as assisting clients with developing technical specifications for contracted railroad operations and maintenance services.
TRAINING AND MEDIA SERVICES
RailPros’ training division delivers specialized, high-impact training and support services specifically designed for the railroad and rail-adjacent industries. With a curriculum crafted by seasoned railroad professionals, RailPros’ programs cater to all six Class 1 railroads, short lines, commuter agencies, contractors, consultants, industrial rail facilities, and government entities, including the Department of Defense.
Their services encompass railroad engineering, transportation, mechanical rules, regulations, and procedures, as well as an Industrial Railroad Safety Training Program that helps organizations such as agricultural, chemical, or mining operations learn industry best practices for working safely around rail. This department also offers a HazMat for Shippers course that equips individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to safely receive and ship hazardous materials by rail.
The company’s training team has a unique understanding of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), federal, state, and local regulations, having built relationships with key contacts at these agencies over the years. They use what they call a “learner-obsessed” approach, building training experiences that are designed to empower learners and enhance comprehension and retention.
For projects that intersect with rail, RailPros stands out as a best-in-class choice to address the transportation industry’s needs. Grounded in safety, quality, and railspecific expertise, the company has demonstrated its effectiveness through its strong track record with clients and exceptional growth. As it rounds out 25+ years of providing outstanding service, RailPros is well-positioned to continue delivering for its customers, strengthening trust, and keeping the transportation industry on track.
OTHER GROWTH INITIATIVES
In partnership with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway and the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA), Patriot has opened a new intermodal terminal in Salt Lake City.
“This project came to life because BNSF Railway’s Ocean Carrier customers wanted a competitive rail option in Salt Lake City,” Tisa tells us.
The company worked closely with UIPA and BNSF Railway to develop a plan and construct the terminal, which subsequently became operational in less than 100 days.
“This initiative is a great example of how we create opportunities through a shared collaborative approach,” he adds.
Indeed, through the project, Patriot is actively engaging at the local level and remains committed to being a productive partner with Class I railroads and shippers.
GETTYSBURG EXCURSION RAILWAY
In September, Patriot launched the Gettysburg Excursion Railway, a revitalized heritage rail experience along a 25-mile route starting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The fourth addition to the company’s growing Excursion Division – which also includes the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in Georgia and two New Hampshirebased operations in Lincoln and Meredith – the Gettysburg line is an important contribution to Patriot’s growing portfolio.
Featuring fully restored 1950’s era passenger coaches, immersive historical narration, and scenic views of Adams County, the Gettysburg line is a true delight.
Departing from the historic 1884 Gettysburg Depot, the attraction offers themed rides, special events, and a Café Car with local catering, enhancing tourism and community engagement across one of the US’ most iconic landscapes.
“We stay focused on understanding local and regional dynamics while understanding the global market and traffic flows,” Tisa explains.
As a project where all stakeholders share the same vision for a more connected, sustainable, cost-efficient,
and resilient future for the nation’s supply chain, the intermodal terminal is a good example of a win-win partnership to enhance freight rail opportunities for shippers.
Elsewhere, as the company continues to work closely with its
“THIS REBRAND MARKS A MILESTONE IN OUR GROWTH STRATEGY AND REFLECTS OUR VISION TO REDEFINE RAIL FREIGHT – CONNECTING COMMUNITIES, DELIVERING LOCALLY, AND REACHING NATIONALLY”
– TOM TISA, CCO, PATRIOT RAIL
customers and local partners, Patriot’s rail network will benefit from public as well as private investments. Over the past several years, Patriot and its local partners have secured almost $200 million in federal and state grants.
“This funding will enable us to augment our safety practices, improve service reliability and efficiency, deliver cleaner air, and place less strain on our roads,” he outlines.
A PROGRESSIVE SAFETY CULTURE
At Patriot, safety comes above all
else. This past year, the company’s President and COO, Jerry Hall, and Vice President of Safety, Harrison Roughton, implemented five safety tenets across its network.
Since then, every Patriot employee has pledged to follow the guidelines, which include advice on preventable injuries and how to prioritize safety, making it everyone’s responsibility and a condition of employment.
In 2024, over 95 percent of the company’s network operated for 365 days without a reportable derailment, injury, or first-aid event.
“This is a milestone reflected in the 20+ Patriot railroads honored by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s (ASLRRA) Jake Award with Distinction,” Tisa comments.
The company has continued this momentum into 2025, with Hall’s operations and safety team having visited each of Patriot’s 30+ railroads over the course of the year.
“We have reached over 430 days without a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-reportable derailment,” Tisa notes.
Mission Statement: “When
This underscores Patriot’s commitment to ‘vision zero’, which works to promote a company-wide safety culture and safe operations by engaging employees and encouraging individuals to take accountability for maintaining a secure environment.
In addition, Patriot supports Operation Lifesaver – a non-profit organization that promotes rail safety through education, reducing deaths and injuries at highway rail crossings.
Patriot also participates in educational programs such as media campaigns, community events, and specialist training classes to promote safe behaviors on and around railroads.
A NEW IDENTITY
Spurred by its growth over the past three years – which has seen it double in size – Patriot unveiled a brand-new identity this August.
More than just a new look, the
rebrand represents a pivotal moment in the company’s growth strategy.
“We’ve welcomed new team members, acquired additional properties, and expanded our services,” Tisa confirms.
With this level of transformation, he notes how transparent communication is essential for the company’s partners to fully understand its evolution.
“It’s a new day at Patriot – we want our current and future partners to know who we are now,” he emphasizes.
As such, the rebrand seeks to share the company’s evolving story, presenting itself as a modern, forward-thinking rail and transportation leader.
“We want to demonstrate how we’re ready for the future, driven by an entrepreneurial mindset, and committed to continued growth,” Tisa declares.
Indeed, the company’s new logo, which depicts a curved ‘p’ with steps
resembling railroad ties, symbolizes steppingstones to the future and reflects the pivotal first mile and final mile services that Patriot’s short lines provide.
The company is also introducing a refreshed tagline – ‘Your Freight, Our Focus’ – a simple phrase intended to succinctly communicate what Patriot does and why it matters.
“This rebrand marks a milestone in our growth strategy and reflects our vision to redefine rail freight – connecting communities, delivering locally, and reaching nationally,” he adds.
ON TRACK FOR THE FUTURE
Looking to the future, Patriot will continue to focus on safety and growth.
CEO Brandy Christian, who joined the company in 2024, brought her vision to create long-term value for customers, employees, and owners.
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“DURING THE COURSE OF MY 30+ YEARS IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY, I’VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE – PARTICULARLY IN HOW RAILROADS OPERATE AND HOW MUCH MORE EFFICIENT THEY’VE BECOME”
– TOM TISA, CCO, PATRIOT RAIL
“In line with Christian’s vision, we set out on a course to find creative solutions for customers and Class 1 partners to identify sustainable, profitable growth opportunities, including new industrial parks and inland ports,” Tisa observes.
Christian’s experience in global logistics has enabled Patriot to forge new strategic paths with long-term benefits – such as its expansion into intermodal transport with the BNSF Railway terminal.
“We prioritize our workforce and listen to their concerns and ideas,” Tisa adds.
Earlier this year, for example, Patriot received the 2025 USA TODAY Top Workplaces Award, which honors organizations with 150 or more employees and that have created people-first cultures.
Out of the 42,000+ businesses invited to participate this year, the company stood out for fostering a workplace where teamwork thrives and employees feel valued.
“The winners are recognized for their commitment to fostering a workplace environment that values employee listening and engagement,” Tisa informs.
“Our CEO summed up Patriot’s view on this influential award perfectly when she noted how our teamwork culture is more than just a corporate value – it’s the driving force behind our achievements and the foundation of our future growth,” he concludes.
Tel: 904-423-2540 www.patriotrail.com
