Tomeka Watson Bryant
General Manager | New Orleans Public Belt Railroad
Despite being one of the major economic engines in Southeast Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans tends to fly well below the public radar. There is probably even less general awareness of the Port’s wholly owned subsidiary, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, yet both are critical to the economic vitality of the region.
Now in her third year as general manager of the Public Belt, Tomeka Watson Bryant is committed to growing the economic value the railroad brings to the area. The daughter of a career railroad man, Watson Bryant is the first African American woman to lead a short line railroad in the United States.
The primary purpose of the Public Belt is to connect ships docking at the port to the six Class A freight railroads that serve New Orleans, shuttling all types of cargo between them. Operating on 32 miles of track, the railroad moves approximately 50,000 freight cars per year.
Despite considerable economic headwinds and interruptions caused by two hurricanes, which force the closure of floodwalls that cross the railroad tracks, Watson Bryant oversaw substantial growth in 2024.
“Our biggest accomplishment was opening the ‘baby bulk’ industrial facility in New Orleans East,” she recounted, referring to the New Orleans Transloading Industrial Park on Terminal Road, “and welcoming Heniff Transportation Systems to the Public Belt family.”
The main purpose of the new facility is to move cargo from both trains and ships to trucks shipping goods via the interstate system.
Another key facility improvement was “completing the Claiborne Yard expansion program, which added three new tracks and an additional 100 cars of storage space.”
Equipment upgrades were also part of the picture.
“We diversified our locomotive fleet in 2024,” she noted. “Since business has been growing so much, we decided to bring in some bigger horsepower.”
While growing volume and revenues is vital, it is not Watson Bryant’s only focus.
“We are committed to moving freight safely through New Orleans,” she added. “Safety is our No. 1 priority. We are a 10 mph railroad to ensure that we are a safe urban railroad.”
In the coming year Watson Bryant said she is expecting continued growth.
“This includes additional storage facilities and adding new customers,” she said, “as well as growing our workforce.”
The Public Belt currently has 187 employees and an estimated annual economic impact of approximately $30 million. Walker Bryant thinks it is on track to exceed these numbers in 2025.
“We have an excellent team at the NOPB, some of the best, and we are super-excited to continue growing in the year ahead.”
