California High-Speed Rail Authority Names Ian Choudri as CEO

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has appointed Ian Choudri as its next chief executive officer. He succeeds Brian Kelly, who announced his retirement following six years of service with the authority.

Choudri is currently a senior vice president at HNTB corporation and brings more than 30 years’ experience in the transportation sector, including working on high-speed rail projects in France and Spain. At HNTB, Choudri has worked with federal and state partners on a variety of projects. In California, he worked to develop future connections between the Ontario Airport with the future Brightline West terminus in Rancho Cucamonga.

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 are complete, trainset selection is underway, station and track construction are on deck, and nearly 14,000 good paying jobs have been created.

The authority has begun work to extend the 119 miles currently under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield. There are currently more than 25 active construction sites in the Central Valley.