{"id":183,"date":"2026-05-16T04:32:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=183"},"modified":"2026-05-16T04:32:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:32:02","slug":"high-speed-rail-authority-ceo-says-central-valley-portion-will-be-done-in-our-lifetime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=183","title":{"rendered":"High-Speed Rail Authority CEO says Central Valley portion will be done ‘in our lifetime’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For almost two years,\u00a0California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO\u00a0Ian Choudri has had his sights set on how to keep the project moving.<\/p>

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He promised during an annual conference on high-speed rail in Washington, D.C., this week that the Central Valley portion \u2014 which will span from Merced to Bakersfield \u2014 will be finished \u201cin our lifetime.\u201d\u00a0Choudri said the railway is on track to secure a private investor to help fund the project by its June 1 Board of Trustees meeting, but that the rail authority is still open to more partners to come forward to speed things up. That will be a critical moment for the railway, which has been seeking out a private investor ever since the Trump administration pulled $4 billion in federal funding.<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cIf somebody comes up and says, \u2018Hey, I can build something in LA\u2019 \u2026 Look, we are open for that business,\u201d he said during an interview with CNBC producer Jeniece Pettitt on Wednesday, referencing the yet-to-be-built tracks that are anticipated to span from Los Angeles to San Francisco at the railway\u2019s completion.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Choudri was appointed to the CEO job in the summer of 2024, with Gov. Gavin Newsom saying\u00a0Choudri\u2019s \u201cdeep experience and get-it-done attitude are impressive.\u201d In touting Choudri\u2019s appointment, Newsom said that the dream of a California-spanning bullet train finally \u201cwill become a reality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Choudri knew the project had America\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

He has since been navigating the political swings and bureaucratic red tape involved in building a statewide railway that spans over what he said on Wednesday is 200 jurisdictions.<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any project like this in the world,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/div>

Choudri and the railway have been the focal point of Republican outrage. President Donald Trump called it \u201cthe worst managed project,\u201d while Rep. Kevin\u00a0Kiley, who recently changed from Republican to independent in an effort to win a redistricted reelection battle this year, proposed pulling the project\u2019s funding, calling it \u201ca textbook example of government failure.\u201d Choudri likened the chatter to an obsession.<\/p><\/div>

The project, he said, \u201cfor right or wrong reasons, has been subjected to every possible politics that you can use in the country. It is very unfortunate.\u201d He went on to inquire about what he called \u201cpolitical football\u201d that is high-speed rail. \u201cWhat is this obsession with this one project in the country that is actually building something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

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Choudri also needs to overcome a legislative hurdle this year.<\/p><\/div>

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Democrats are trying to make changes to a 2022 law that said the project must first fund the Central Valley section. If legislators pass a bill to loosen those requirements, then other sections of the railway can start making headway.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cWe can start next year, we can start this year,\u201d Choudri said. He added at another point: \u201cThere are some constraints. Some of it is legislative.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

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