Ian Choudri, chief executive for California’s High-Speed Rail Authority, abruptly resigned on Wednesday after state investigators questioned spending.
Choudri’s abrupt resignation comes roughly two decades after California enacted the high-speed rail project, which has increasingly faced criticism for rising costs with little to no results. The proposed bullet train would connect northern and southern California in a matter of hours ,similar to Europe’s TGV.
“The executive, Ian Choudri, who was appointed in 2024, had been responsible for overseeing the construction of a high-speed bullet train that would take riders between the southern and northern parts of the state, per the New York Times.
“But six years after officials initially estimated it would be complete, crews have so far broken ground on one 119-mile section of the roughly 500 miles of planned rail, and the original plans have been scaled back amid chronic delays and cost overruns that plunged the project into limbo,” it added.
Choudri will be replaced by Joe Stephenshaw, who previously led the state Department of Finance after working as a policy analyst in the state legislature. Choudri said in a memo that he resigned to focus on “important personal and family priorities.”
“This has not been an easy decision, as leading the Authority has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding chapters of my professional life,” wrote Choudri.
According to CalMatters, Choudri’s two-year tenure was “troubled by budget woes, project delays, transparency concerns and various scandals including the misuse of nearly $600,000 in taxpayer money for questionable trips by rail authority consultants.”
“Under Choudri, the authority also lost $4 billion in federal funding under President Donald Trump’s administration, after the agency repeatedly missed deadlines required by the funding agreement to buy trains,” it added. “The state initially sued Trump for the funding but abruptly dropped the lawsuit in December 2025, blaming Trump as ‘not a reliable partner’ and turning to private investors instead.”
State investigators last month found the rail agency’s consultants flew first class, hailed premium rides and traveled to a nightclub, cigar lounge and restaurants on taxpayers’ dime, sometimes at Choudri’s request. Many of the trips involved traveling to Folsom, the Sacramento suburb where Choudri has a home, sometimes after hours.
The board voted earlier this month to limit Choudri’s contracting authority following the probe, requiring the in-house legal counsel to sign off first on contracts under $25 million.
The board had also been considering Choudri’s firing for weeks ahead of his resignation. Board chair Steve Kawa said on Thursday that Choudri’s resignation “reflects the board’s commitment to accountability and transparency, consistent with the governor’s mandate.”
“Californians deserve a project they can trust,” Kawa added.
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