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Rail News: High-Speed Rail
1/8/2010
Rail News: High-Speed Rail
CHSRA executive director Morshed to retire in March
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Mehdi Morshed has served as executive director of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) for the past 11 years. During that time, he has overseen a project that’s had its share of ups and downs, from annual threats that the state’s high-speed rail program could be cancelled, to voters approving a $9 billion bond measure to finance the system. Now, Morshed will resign from the authority in March, ending his 46 years of public service.
CHSRA’s board plans to launch a search for a chief executive officer, a new position that will help lead the agency into a new high-speed rail era, agency officials believe.
“The goal is to bring on someone with experience managing and delivering large public construction projects,” says Jeffrey Barker, CHSRA’s public information officer. “To this point, we have been largely a planning and environmental review entity.”
Prior to being appointed executive director in 1998, Morshed served as a member of California’s high-speed rail commission between 1994 and 1996. He was appointed to CHSRA’s board in 1997.
Morshed previously spent 20 years as the principal policy person handling transportation issues for the California State Senate. He also worked for the California Department of Transportation in various capacities.
“My involvement in this endeavor became a cause and I was dedicated to getting the work completed,” Morshed said in his resignation letter, which described his executive director stint as both “frustrating and exhilarating.” “There is no doubt in my mind that the project will move forward and California will have the first state-of-the-art high-speed train in the nation.”
— Angela Cotey
CHSRA’s board plans to launch a search for a chief executive officer, a new position that will help lead the agency into a new high-speed rail era, agency officials believe.
“The goal is to bring on someone with experience managing and delivering large public construction projects,” says Jeffrey Barker, CHSRA’s public information officer. “To this point, we have been largely a planning and environmental review entity.”
Prior to being appointed executive director in 1998, Morshed served as a member of California’s high-speed rail commission between 1994 and 1996. He was appointed to CHSRA’s board in 1997.
Morshed previously spent 20 years as the principal policy person handling transportation issues for the California State Senate. He also worked for the California Department of Transportation in various capacities.
“My involvement in this endeavor became a cause and I was dedicated to getting the work completed,” Morshed said in his resignation letter, which described his executive director stint as both “frustrating and exhilarating.” “There is no doubt in my mind that the project will move forward and California will have the first state-of-the-art high-speed train in the nation.”
— Angela Cotey
