When Pranaya Shrestha’s father immigrated to the United States from Nepal in 1976, he sacrificed a prestigious government position and worked seven days a week operating a grocery store in Minnesota.

His two sons and a daughter “worked hard to make sure his sacrifice was not wasted,” says Shrestha, a vice president of HNTB. “My sister went to medical school and my brother is a chemical engineer. My dad’s grandkids are all graduating from college.”

Shrestha earned a degree in electrical engineering and got into the transportation world “by luck,” he says. After consulting for a rail project in Portland, Ore., he started working for Denver’s Regional Transportation District on a one-year contract that turned into 25 years, including working on its FasTracks program that since 2004 has resulted in 25.1 miles of light-rail track and 53 miles of commuter rail track.

Shortly after retiring from the district, he received a call in 2021 from Caltrain, which was struggling with delays on its $2.4-billion electrification project and a huge claim from main contractor Balfour Beatty. “Three days later I was on a plane” to Northern California, he says.

Caltrain hired Shrestha as interim program chief to get the project back on track. Unexpected underground conditions, the pandemic and a politically motivated three-month deferral of a $647-million federal grant in 2017 were all contributing factors to the missed deadlines.

Contract disputes with Balfour Beatty and a new federal risk refresh report in 2021 estimated that the project would need an additional $330 million, Caltrain said in June 2021. The project was identified as at-risk by the Federal Transit Administration and the California High Speed Rail Authority, an investor in the electrification.

Shrestha put together a road map to address some 1,500 change orders and repair the contractor relationship. Under his direction, agency and contractor leadership counterparts met regularly, with monthly phone calls, visits and CEO weekly call-ins. “It could be as simple as grabbing coffee together," he says. “Both of us had to have a horse in the race to change the relationship'.” I said, ‘you have risks, I have risks—let’s share them.’ We sat down with Balfour Beatty for two days to understand the risks.”

The result was a $50-million jointly shared risk pool that Balfour Beatty Senior Vice President of Operations Keith McCoy calls“ingenious” and a win-win. “As large, complex projects evolve, they often require a shift in leadership style to facilitate more effective problem-solving,” he says.

“Pranaya Shrestha’s extensive experience with major projects and his technical expertise was instrumental in fostering a more collaborative approach and stronger partnership between Balfour Beatty and Caltrain,” McCoy continues. “This strategic shift in leadership played a crucial role in turning the project around at a critical juncture, resulting in the team successfully delivering a sustainable and modernized rail system on time and within budget.”

Mark Clendennen, HNTB project manager, concurs. “Working with Pranaya over the past eight years, from Colorado to California, has been an incredible experience. Pranaya’s extensive knowledge in electrification projects is unparalleled. He not only understands the technical aspects inside and out but also excels at bringing people together.”

“When I look back at my career,” says Shrestha, “if there are 100 engineers in a room, I’d be average at best. l’ve been able to deliver success through what I learned from my parents: Treat everyone with kindness, respect, dignity. Be transparent and honest. Draw a line when it comes to values. Don’t compromise those. When I hire people, I look at personality. You can teach them algebra. You can’t teach them to be nice.”