Amtrak president fired by board of directors

Amtrak's board of directors Wednesday fired President David Gunn. The board said the passenger rail service needed to intensify the pace and broaden the scope of its overhauls.

Amtrak said David Hughes, the chief engineer, has been named acting president, and a search for a new chief has begun.

Gunn has clashed with the administration since taking the post in 2002. He has said Amtrak cannot survive without federal subsidies while the administration has pushed to end them.

"David Gunn has helped Amtrak make important operational improvements over the past three years," said Amtrak Chairman David Laney. "Amtrak's future now requires a different type of leader who will aggressively tackle the company's financial, management and operational challenges."

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Gunn's dismissal would be "a crushing blow to Amtrak's hopes for success and reform."