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Roelof van Ark, who will become the new chief executive officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority on June 1, brings extensive experience with two rail manufacturing firms to his new position in Sacramento. He is only the second CEO in the authority’s 14-year history, succeeding Mehdi Morshed, who recently retired.

“Building the first high-speed rail system in the nation is no ordinary job. It is the biggest public works project in the country—and the largest environmental review in history,” said authority Chairman Curt Pringle. “Roelof van Ark is the world-class manager and engineer we need to take the reins of this project and turn the promise of high-speed rail into a reality for the people of California.”

Van Ark comes to the authority from Alstom Transportation Inc., where he has served as president since 2005. The company is the North American subsidiary of France’s Alstom SA, makers of the Train à Grande Vitesse high-speed train that operates in France.

He also spent more than 20 years as an executive, managing director, general manager, senior technical manager, and senior project engineer for Siemens, manufacturers of the popular Inter-City Express high speed trains, working in Germany, South Africa, and most recently in Sacramento, where he served as president and CEO of Siemens Transportation Systems from 1999 to 2002. In addition, Van Ark’s more than 30 years in the transportation field include serving as president of aviation security for Invision Technologies Inc., which was purchased in 2004 by General Electric.

“California is leading the nation in high-speed rail,” van Ark said. “I have seen how high-speed rail projects transform the places where they’re built—creating incredible new opportunities by connecting the world’s great cities. As someone who has devoted his career to this industry, there’s no doubt in my mind that California is the place to be, and I’m honored to be given the opportunity to work with all partners to move California’s high-speed train project forward.”

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