Meet the APTA Staff: Bryan Sooter

Senior Director
Standards and Rail Engineering
Technical Services & Innovation Department

Q: What are your primary responsibilities at APTA?

A: My primary responsibilities are oversight of the APTA Standards Program and commuter rail and rail transit programs. Additionally, I help coordinate the Railway Engineering Education Symposium (REES), which is held biannually and seeks to increase railway engineering curricula at universities.

Q: How do the initiatives and programs you work on contribute to APTA’s strategic goals?

A: The initiatives and programs I manage advance safety, reliability, workforce development, industry collaboration, and the technical foundation for public transportation. Through leadership of the Standards Program, rail technical forums, peer reviews, and industry education initiatives, I help create the tools, guidance, and knowledge-sharing opportunities that transit agencies rely on to improve performance and address emerging challenges.

Q: Describe your work with APTA members.

A: On a daily basis, I interact with transit agency representatives, commuter railroads, consultants, manufacturers, contractors, academic institutions, and government agencies through standards working groups, committees, technical forums, peer reviews, and industry outreach activities.

APTA members turn to me for information and guidance related to rail transit and commuter rail operations, engineering, infrastructure, standards development, and industry best practices. As the staff lead for several rail programs and committees, I serve as a resource on both technical and programmatic matters affecting the passenger rail industry.

Q: Which APTA committees are you involved with?

A: I am primarily involved with APTA’s rail-related committees and technical forums. In addition to these responsibilities, I manage and support numerous APTA Standards working groups covering rail operations, infrastructure, vehicles, safety, accessibility, vertical transportation, and other technical disciplines. This includes coordinating volunteer subject matter experts from across the industry, overseeing standards development activities, and managing the standards publication methodology.

Q: What’s your professional background and when did you join APTA?

A: I joined APTA after building a diverse career in engineering and transportation. I worked for a forensic engineering consulting firm, where my responsibilities included conducting train operations assessments, performing railroad accident investigations, investigating train derailments and grade crossing incidents, and analyzing event recorder data.

Before that, I worked for the Alaska Railroad, where I served in several operating roles, including conductor, locomotive engineer, and train dispatcher. These positions provided firsthand experience in railroad operations and a comprehensive understanding of how rail systems function from both field and control center perspectives. Through these roles, I developed expertise in train operations, dispatching, safety management, operating rules, infrastructure constraints, and the coordination required to move passengers and freight safely and efficiently across a railroad network.

What attracted me to APTA was the opportunity to apply my experience at an industry-wide level, bringing together experts from across North America to develop solutions, share knowledge, and advance public transportation. The collaborative nature of the association and its mission to strengthen and improve public transportation closely align with my professional interests and experience.

Q: What interests you most about public transportation?

A: The opportunity to positively impact people’s daily lives and communities. Public transportation is one of the few industries that combines engineering, operations, technology, public service, and public policy to provide an essential service that millions of people rely on every day.

Q: Are you a member of any associations or organizations?

A: I am a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.