At a critical juncture in the state’s ambitious high-speed rail project, he will assume leadership.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s new CEO is Ian Choudri. With more than 30 years of leadership experience in the transportation industry, he will assume leadership for California’s ambitious high-speed rail project at a pivotal and transformative moment. Brian Kelly, the Authority’s previous CEO for the previous six years, will be succeeded by him.
At the moment, Choudri holds the position of senior vice president at HNTB Corporation, an American infrastructure design company with vast expertise in developing transportation infrastructure systems and projects at the state and federal levels. In order to effectively navigate the unique technical, regulatory, and financial challenges that each rail, transit, and transportation agency faces, he serves as a national strategic advisor to these organizations.
According to a press release issued by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, “the new CEO selection comes as the project marks significant progress with historic funding from the Biden-Harris Administration.” The press release also stated that the project has produced “nearly 14,000 good paying jobs” and that “environmental reviews from Los Angeles to the Bay Area are complete, trainset selection is underway, and station and track construction is on deck.”
Politico observes that Choudri faces a difficult task. “He’ll be tasked with guiding the state’s high-profile rail project as it gets closer to completing its first stretch of track through the Central Valley and as uncertainty looms around its funding stream.”
Choudri said in a statement that he is “humbled” to be in charge of “a once in a lifetime project that has the nation’s attention.” He expressed his excitement about “rolling up my sleeves, joining the ranks of the Authority’s dedicated employees, and working collectively to make our mark on high-speed rail in California.” Now let us continue to build and finish this.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom welcomed Choudri’s appointment. “Ian’s deep experience and get-it-done attitude are impressive, and he’s taking control at an important moment for this project,” he said. “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.” He thanked Kelly “for his years of leadership on this project, and for bringing California closer to dream reality.”
In his prior role at HNTB, Choudri collaborated on a range of transportation and infrastructure-related projects with partners at the federal, state, and local levels. He collaborated with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority in California to create a tunnel mobility system that will transport people from the Ontario Airport to Rancho Cucamonga, the future location of the Brightline West terminus. Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade working on high-speed train technology and train control systems in France and Spain, giving him deeper knowledge and understanding of complex projects and train systems.
