Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn spoke at Railway Age’s “Women in Rail” virtual conference this Thursday. Railway Age has formally honored women in rail since 2017 through their annual Women in Rail Awards, recognizing women in leadership in the industry.

Cindy joined the fireside chat with Beth Whited from Union Pacific, and talked about her start in railroading, her experience on the operations side of the industry, and why railroading is one of the best careers out there.

“If you think you’d enjoy it, you probably will… I think there is a bit of an invisible barrier there to get into operations, but women can and should break through it,” Cindy said when asked about encouraging women to take advantage of opportunities on the operations side.

Talking about her leadership style and culture at Norfolk Southern, Cindy said it’s all about empowerment from the ballast line up, and keeping your culture strong.

Cindy has been on the railroad for more than 30 years, joining the “family business” following the footsteps of both her mother and father.

The conference also included speakers from BNSF, CN, Greenbrier Companies, Cummins, and more.