The man in charge of building the train meant to link San Francisco and Los Angeles is leaving. Ian Choudri, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, resigned late Wednesday, Oct. 28, telling the agency in an email that he needs to focus on "important personal and family priorities," according to CalMatters, which obtained the resignation.
"This has not been an easy decision," Choudri wrote, calling his time at the authority one of the most meaningful chapters of his career. It was not immediately clear when his last day will be.
Why now
The resignation landed in the middle of a two-day board meeting that continues Thursday. Last month, the inspector general overseeing the rail agency found that consultants billed taxpayers for questionable travel, nearly $600,000 in all, including first-class flights, premium rides and visits to a nightclub and a cigar lounge, sometimes at Choudri's request. Earlier this month the board voted to limit his contracting authority, requiring in-house legal sign-off on contracts under $25 million. We covered that vote in our Oct. 9 story.
CalMatters reports that the board had been weighing further discipline, including possible termination, and that consulting firms have now repaid nearly $1.3 million to the agency.
Where the project stands
On Wednesday the board unanimously approved a $772.1 million contract with Siemens Mobility to design, build and test three seven-car trainsets by 2030. The agency's latest business plan puts the full cost between $126 billion and $231 billion, with the 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield segment under construction. Choudri was hired in August 2024; under his tenure the project lost $4 billion in federal funding.
For Bay Area riders, the bullet train remains years away. Caltrain's electrified corridor on the Peninsula is planned to eventually carry high-speed trains into San Francisco.