California High-Speed Rail Chief Ian Choudri Quits After Expenses Report

Ian Choudri, chief executive of California's embattled high-speed rail authority, abruptly resigned on Wednesday, more than a month after a state watchdog found the agency had misused public funds.

In September, California's office of the inspector general released an investigative report finding the rail authority had paid 543,000 dollars in travel-related reimbursements for consultants that were not allowed, including international or out-of-state travel expenses.

The report raised questions about whether business and pleasure were mixed under Choudri's purview. The authority paid 81,000 dollars for consultants' travel to places that lacked an official purpose, including gyms, an escape room and a nightclub.

In his resignation email, obtained by CalMatters, Choudri cited 'important personal and family priorities'.

He wrote that this had not been an easy decision, as leading the authority had been one of the most meaningful and rewarding chapters of his professional life.

Choudri was sworn into the rail authority's top post in 2024.

The agency is tasked with constructing a high-speed rail line that would slash commute time between Los Angeles and San Francisco, about 380 miles apart.

The bullet train initially drew comparisons to speedy transport in China and Japan, but it has become a political and financial headache for California.

Eighteen years after state voters gave the green light to a multi-billion dollar bond project, no railroad tracks have been laid, as the agency continues to search for funding.

Its price tag has soared upwards of 100 billion dollars. The Trump administration, which has an adversarial relationship with several of California's top officials, dealt a further blow last year by withdrawing 4 billion dollars. At the time, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it a 'boondoggle' and a 'train to nowhere'.

Xavier Becerra, highly favoured to be California's next governor, suggested this week there would be a staff shake-up at the rail authority if he wins the election against rival Steve Hilton. He told KCRA News they would have to scrub a lot and the authority would have to look really different to continue the project. The interview aired hours before Choudri's exit.