GOP lawmakers questioning Amtrak bonuses
House Republicans are urging Amtrak to answer questions about six-figure bonuses top executives received last year despite rail’s poor financial performance and low ridership during the coronavirus pandemic. Amtrak has said it increased its short-term incentive awards for managers across the company in 2019 to try to address retention and hiring issues. The company said it created the bonus program in 2013 after changing its retirement program and closing it to newly hired employees. [nytimes.com]
Officials across Ohio pushing for passenger rail
Mayors and planners across Ohio have shipped their passenger rail wish lists to the federal government. In a series of letters, officials said a top priority remains a “3C+D” line linking Columbus to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, and possibly, John Glenn International Airport. This broad bipartisan support for Ohio Amtrak expansion at the local level could pressure state officials who have mostly stayed mum on the topic. The move also puts Ohio projects on the Federal Railroad Administration’s radar for potential funding.[axios.com]
Ottawa light-rail extensions hit by more delays
Delays in construction of the western extension to Ottawa Light Rail Transit’s (OLRT) Confederation Line have extended the project’s expected completion time by 17 months to late 2026. Completion of the Trillium Line southern extension, which is due to open in September 2023, has already been delayed by a year. Meanwhile, an inquiry continues to investigate causes of derailments and breakdowns that hampered the first stage of Ottawa’s LRT project. An inquiry report is expected by month’s end. [ailjournal.com]
Virgin Hyperloop dropping its Virgin branding
Something’s going on at Virgin Hyperloop, the startup attempting to bring Elon Musk’s vision of high-speed trains to life. At some point in the last few weeks, the company has quietly changed its name back to Hyperloop One, the brand it used between 2016 and 2017. Its website has been scrubbed clean, too, using an old stock image of the XP-1 test pod and the claim that “It’s a new day at Hyperloop One,” too. [finance.yahoo.com]
