California High-Speed Rail Authority Names New CEO

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board appointed Ian Choudri as its next CEO.

The announcement was made after the board met in closed session in Sacramento.

What Choudri Brings to the Table

Choudri currently works as sr. VP for HNTB Corp. and brings more than 30 years of experience in the transportation sector, including working on high-speed rail projects in France and Spain.

“Ian’s deep experience and get-it-done attitude are impressive, and he’s taking control at an important moment for this project,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Over the next few years, the dream of high-speed rail in California will become a reality, as we begin to lay track, design and build stations, and buy trains. Ian is the perfect steward for the next phase of high-speed rail.”

In his previous position at HNTB, Choudri worked with federal and state level partners on a variety of transportation and infrastructure issues.

In California, he worked to develop future connections between the Ontario Airport with the future Brightline West terminus in Rancho Cucamonga.

A New Home at California’s HSR Program

Choudri now brings his wealth of knowledge to the Authority, as the organization moves closer to passenger operations on the nation’s first 220-mph electrified rail system.

The new CEO selection comes as the project marks significant progress — with historic funding from the Biden-Harris Administration, all environmental reviews from Los Angeles to the Bay Area complete, trainset selection underway, station and track construction on deck, and nearly 14,000 good paying jobs created.

The Authority has made significant progress in the last year, including:

• Full environmental clearance of 463 of 494 miles of the high-speed rail program from downtown San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles.
• A total of $3.3 billion in federal grants received to advance the early operating segment in the Central Valley, including station work in the cities of Fresno, Merced, Bakersfield and the Kings/Tulare region.
• Billions earmarked for major high-speed rail procurements, including trains, design for track and overhead electrical systems and design progress into Merced and Bakersfield.
• 13,700+ construction jobs created, with the majority of those jobs going to residents within disadvantaged communities.
• 844 certified small businesses working on the high-speed rail project.

Former CEO Kelly Retires

In January, Authority CEO Brian Kelly announced his planned retirement after six years with the Authority and over 30 years leading transportation policy issues in California.

In his announcement, he expressed that the time was right for a transition to new leadership after continued progress and forward momentum on the project as it moves closer to operations.