Texas transportation council cancels hyperloop plans
The North Texas Regional Transportation Council (RTC) has revised its policy on developing a high-speed corridor to focus solely on high-speed rail, eliminating plans to build hyperloop tech into the Dallas – Fort Worth corridor. RTC’s principal transportation planner Brendon Wheeler said hyperloop is still a developing technology with no clear path to approval, and including it in the corridor’s plans could delay development. RTC will now pursue environmental approval for the high-speed rail corridor between Dallas and Fort Worth along Interstate 30. [progressiverailroading.com]
Springfield-Boston passenger trains closer to reality
Funding for Amtrak and public transit in the federal infrastructure bill, along with government leverage over CSX because it wants approval to buy Pan Am Railway, make improved Boston-Springfield passenger rail service tantalizingly close. But a final deal between CSX, which owns the rails, Amtrak, which will run the trains, and the state Department of Transportation isn’t expected until the federal Surface Transportation Board rules on the Pan Am deal on or just before April 15. [msn.com]
Support remains high for Ann Arbor to Traverse City
Michigan lawmakers have received an update about a potential passenger rail project from Ann Arbor to Traverse City. The Northern Michigan passenger rail project is the result of past ideas and surveys that found Michiganders wanted a passenger rail service to Traverse City. The Michigan Department of Transportation included the potential route in its 2011 statewide rail plan. It also carried it into its most recent long-range plan, the Michigan 2045 mobility plan. While there’s still no concrete timetable for when the project could begin, public support remains high. [mlive.com]
Virgin Hyperloop shifts focus from passengers to freight
Virgin Hyperloop has laid off roughly half of its employees amid a switch from passenger transportation to freight. The transportation company confirmed to The Financial Times that it laid off 111 staffers last week, some of whom told the publication the job cuts were “definitely not expected.” The Los Angeles-based company aims to monetize transportation via hyperloop technology in which passengers or cargo are transported at high-speeds in vacuum-sealed tubes. [thehill.com]
