HSRA Announces New Deputy Director

The High Speed Rail Alliance is pleased to welcome a new deputy director, Christopher Ott, to our staff. Ott will help HSRA increase its capacities and impact at a pivotal moment for both the organization and for the future of trains in the U.S.

Originally from Milwaukee, Ott worked previously as the executive director for the ACLU in his home state. Prior to that, he served as communications director for the ACLU of Massachusetts. Ott has also been a writer with a long-standing interest in railroads and has written about trains, from both a traveler’s and an advocate’s perspective, for local and national publications.

“I’ve felt for a long time that the U.S. could do a lot better,” Ott said. He was interested in joining HSRA because the opportunities of this moment to make a paradigm shift in U.S. transportation policy are a real possibility.

“There’s a growing recognition that we need this option to be much better than it is,” said Ott, whose love for railroads goes back to his days in college on the east coast, when he would frequently ride Amtrak trains up and down the Northeast Corridor.

“With the enthusiasm and support at a lot of different levels—federal, state, local, and individuals—I hope that it’s all coming together. And I think it’s terrific that HSRA has been doing this work for so long, and has laid the groundwork for what’s happening now.

I really respect what the organization has done. I became an HSRA member several years ago and I’m thrilled to have a chance to work here and contribute to the cause.”

The Latest from HSRA

Our Latest Blog Posts

Check out the latest news, updates, and high speed rail insights from our blog!

The Economic Engine of the Rio Grande Plan

The Economic Engine of the Rio Grande Plan

Guest blog by Taylor Larsen Since its creation by Christian Lenhart and Cameron Blakely in 2020, the citizen-driven Rio Grande Plan has shared a vision: to remove railroad crossings, revitalize a neighborhood, and reuse the historic Rio Grande Depot as Salt Lake...

Tell Springfield: Invest in Metra’s Growth

Tell Springfield: Invest in Metra’s Growth

Transit Funding is Coming Down to the Wire Metra is a critical foundation of the State’s economy.  Chicago and its suburbs cannot grow and adapt to a rapidly changing world without a growing regional rail network. And, a modernized Metra is the foundation for great...

Alliance Members Show Up for Illinois Railway Investment

Alliance Members Show Up for Illinois Railway Investment

If you’ve followed the Alliance for a while, you know that we often focus on Illinois. That’s because of Chicago. Investment in the Windy City’s railway hub benefits a huge region, with hundreds of communities on rail lines that radiate out of Chicago. State lawmakers...