The California High-Speed Rail Authority has named its new chief executive officer to oversee the next phase of the project’s development.
On Thursday, the CAHSR announced Ian Choudri as the next CEO, taking over for Brian Kelly, who announced in January he would be retiring and stepping down from the role after six years of service.
Choudri currently works as Senior Vice President for HNTB Corporation, an infrastructure design firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.
Officials for the CAHSR say Choudri has more than 30 years of experience in the transportation sector and has worked on high-speed rail projects in France and in Spain.
Choudri is also no stranger to California transit projects. According to the Authority, his role at HNTB included developing future connections between the Ontario Airport and the Rancho Cucamonga station for Brightline West — the other high-speed rail project in California.
Choudri was chosen after an “extensive national search,” and the decision was formalized after the Authority’s most recent closed session in Sacramento.
“[Choudri’s] strong understanding of complex transportation projects will help build on the progress we’ve been making and lead the organization forward on a path to passenger service,” said CAHSR Board Chairman Tom Richards.
Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, praised Choudri’s “innovate ideas” and his commitment to transportation, reiterating that California is committed to getting passengers onto fast electric trains “as soon as possible.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom described Choudri’s experience as impressive and said he’s taking over the project at a crucial time.
“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,” Newsom said. “Ian is the perfect steward for the next phase of high-speed rail.”
Both Newsom and Richards offered their thanks and praise to outgoing and retiring CEO Brian Kelly, who inherited a mired down and politically unpopular project when he took the reins of CAHSR.
During his tenure, Kelly helped bring in billions of funding dollars for the project and was at the head of the table as the project cleared one environmental hurdle after another.
More focused on policy and fundraising, Kelly said his decision to step down was made at a time when the project began to transition from theoretical to inevitable, arguing that the new CEO should be someone whose expertise lies in passenger rail operations.
“My goal when I took this position in 2018 was to help stabilize the organization and improve performance such that policymakers would once again consider investing in the project. While there is more work to do, this goal has largely been achieved,” Kelly said in his January resignation notice.
Newsom thanked Kelly for providing leadership and a steady hand, and for “bringing California closer” to making the dream of electric high-speed train travel a reality, which he says is crucial to the state’s future.
As for where the project stands now, a lot of housecleaning work has been completed with complete environmental clearance secured for the section of the project from San Francisco to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
The Authority has secured significant funding from the federal government and is in the process of procuring the high-speed train sets that will eventually whisk passengers across the state at speeds of up to 220 mph.
Now the time comes for putting shovels into the ground and continuing to obtain funding for the massive, multibillion-dollar project.
There are currently 25 active construction sites in the Central Valley and the Authority is actively working to expand beyond the current 119-mile construction zone to the 171 miles of eventual track that will comprise the project’s “Initial Operating Segment” connecting Merced to Bakersfield.
That segment is expected to begin operations in the early 2030s.
“This is a once in a lifetime project that has the attention of the nation,” Choudri said of Thursday’s announcement. “I look forward to joining the ranks of the dedicated employees at the Authority, rolling up my sleeves and working collectively to make our mark on high speed rail in California. Let’s keep building and get this done.”
