Zatarain to Lead Station Access Planning for California High-Speed Rail

WSP USA has named Ken Zatarain to lead station access planning for the California High-Speed Rail program.

In his new position, Zatarain will work with state and local jurisdictions to develop plans, policies and implementation strategies for stations of the California High-Speed Rail system.

California High-Speed Rail, the nation’s first high-speed rail system, will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours at speeds capable of 200 miles per hour. The system will eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations. WSP USA is Rail Delivery Partner to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Zatarain, who is based in WSP’s Portland office, comes to WSP following a 30-year career with TriMet in Portland, Oregon. He most recently served as director of service delivery, responsible for transportation management, planning, scheduling, workforce development and service reliability. During his career with TriMet, he was instrumental in in the development of the region’s transit system from a medium-sized bus operation to the thriving multimodal transportation system that has become synonymous with “smart growth.” 

Zatarain received a master’s degree in regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of New Orleans.

His professional affiliations have included the American Public Transportation Association (co-chair, environmental justice/title VI subcommittee), National Association of City Transportation Officials, and the International Association of Public Transport.