The head of America’s most ambitious transportation initiative, the California High-Speed Rail project, was arrested earlier this month following a domestic disturbance at his residence in California.
Ian Choudri, age 57, who serves as the chief executive officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, was taken into custody on February 4. He faces allegations of misdemeanor domestic battery.
This incident occurred just a day after Choudri joined Governor Gavin Newsom to celebrate the completion of the Southern Railhead facility in Kern County, marking a significant milestone for the long-delayed high-speed rail venture.
According to police reports, officers arrived at Choudri’s home and arrested both him and his fiancée, Lyudmyla Starostyuk, 46, on suspicion of misdemeanor battery.
A representative from the Folsom Police Department confirmed the arrests, stating that both individuals were booked and subsequently released from the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Dispatch logs examined by The Sacramento Bee revealed that authorities were called to the scene due to a reported altercation involving Starostyuk and Choudri’s 17-year-old daughter.
Dispatchers told responding officers that Starostyuk had ‘pulled her hair and pushed her’ before locking her out of the house.
It was not clear who placed the 911 call, but all three were outside when police arrived.
Folsom Police said Ian Choudri, 57, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, was arrested on February 4 on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery
The arrest came just one day after Choudri appeared alongside Governor Gavin Newsom to mark the completion of the Southern Railhead facility in Kern County
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges.
‘The Sacramento District Attorney’s Office immediately declined to file charges when an incident report was forwarded to them by the Folsom Police Department,’ Choudri’s attorney, Allen Sawyer, told KCRA 3. ‘Mr Choudri was never asked to appear in court and this matter is over.’
In a follow-up email to KCRA 3, Sawyer dismissed the episode as ‘a big nothing burger’ and suggested the incident report is unlikely to be released because the case is not moving forward.
The California high-speed rail system has remained the largest public works project of its kind in the US.
Originally approved by voters in 2008, the project was envisioned as a roughly 500-mile line linking San Francisco and Los Angeles, cutting the nearly 400-mile trip between the cities to about two hours and 40 minutes.
Nearly two decades later, just 80 miles of guideway and 58 major structures have been completed.
US President Donald Trump, a longtime critic, revoked a $4 billion federal grant in July 2025, calling the project a ‘boondoggle’ and questioning whether it would ever be finished as promised.
Choudri, who was appointed CEO in August 2024 amid mounting criticism, has forcefully defended the project.
The California high-speed rail system has remained the largest public works project of its kind in the US
‘Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong – it’s illegal,’ he said in a statement to Newsweek. ‘These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025.
‘America’s only high-speed rail project underway is fast approaching the tracklaying phase, with 171 miles under active construction and design, 15,500 jobs created, and more than 50 major structures completed. This is no time for Washington to walk away on America’s transportation future.’
Choudri had described the rail effort as a generational investment, likening it to the interstate highway system and other large-scale public works that took decades to complete.
Meanwhile, Newsom proposed extending California’s cap-and-trade program through 2045, a move expected to generate roughly $1 billion annually to help sustain the project.
The authority is scheduled to present an updated business plan and funding strategy to lawmakers in 2026.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority said it was reviewing the situation and declined to comment.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
