After a brief closed session this morning in Sacramento, the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors announced the appointment of Ian Choudri to head up the program.
Choudri is currently a senior vice president for HNTB, a firm that works on transportation infrastructure solutions. He was HNTB's national rail and transit business development director, and has worked on transportation infrastructure projects for more than thirty years. He helped develop connections between the future Brightline West terminus and the Ontario Airport, and has experience working with federal and state agencies on infrastructure funding and policies.
He also brings experience working on high-speed rail projects in France and Spain.
Choudri will replace outgoing CEO Brian Kelly, who took over as lead for the program six years ago and has led steady progress during that time. Kelly inherited a program that was mired in lawsuits and had no clear path forward, with little right-of-way cleared and funding requirements pushing the program to begin construction before it was ready.
Six years later, the program has completed environmental reviews for the entire Los Angeles to Bay Area segment, settled most of the lawsuits, and has begun construction on the early operating segment between Bakersfield and Merced. CAHSRA is also in the midst of designing and selecting future trainsets, prepping construction of stations in Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Kings/Tulare, and preparing for laying track.
Kelly also quietly and persistently advocated for voter-approved bond funding to be released to the program, even when Southern California politicians were pushing to diverting it, and he succeeded. He also kept pushing for federal funding in the face of naysayers who tried to label the project a "failed" "boondoggle" - and he was able to secure $3.3 billion in federal grants.
His retirement leaves the program in good shape for the future CEO, who will certainly face more challenges in the future. He will have to complete design on the remaining segments while procuring more funding and likely facing down continuing skepticism from some journalists, legislators, and pundits.
Enthusiasm for Kelly's replacement runs high among high-speed rail supporters. “Ian Choudri is the right executive at the right time to lead America’s most ambitious high-speed rail project as it advances toward initial operations,” said former USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood, who is co-chair of U.S. High-Speed Rail (USHSR), a coalition of labor unions, companies, and public employees who support and work to advance high-speed rail investments.
“Thanks to his remarkable leadership and commitment, Brian Kelly is leaving the California High Speed Rail project well-positioned for success,” said USHSR CEO Andy Kunz. “We look forward to working with the Authority’s new leadership to secure the funding needed to get trains rolling.”
Streetsblog will be celebrating outgoing CEO Brian Kelly's remarkable achievements with a Streetsie Award at our 10th anniversary celebration in September, in San Francisco. All are invited.
