Honolulu Rail Opens it's First Segment Today

[slip]

Free rides are going on today.

Marking ‘historic’ milestone, scores line up on opening day to ride Honolulu’s long-awaited rail

Nearly 9,000 people rode Skyline in its first day of public operation.

www.hawaiinewsnow.com

 

[dsmrp]

Wow, glad at least a part of it is open now.
So MUCH cost, corruption, controversy and poor planning and politics in this project.
It used to make my local area rail phases look so efficient by comparison. My light rail route phase across Lake Washington is delayed another year+ for rework, so that favorable comparison has faded.

The Oahu rail was supposed to go to Middle St bus depot in Honolulu in modified plans. So Halawa is pretty short of Middle street Kalihi area. Middle St should be in next phase.

 

[b2bailey]

I wondered if I would live long enough to see this.
Is the airport an option?

 

[slip]

I wondered if I would live long enough to see this.
Is the airport an option?

This first segment goes from Halawa to East Kapolei.

 

[alwysonvac]

From the Skyline Rider Guide - https://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/dts/TO_Skyline_Rider_Broch_R2_FINAL.pdf

Full Route Map and phases - https://www.honolulu.gov/transportation/divisions/mobility/rail-operations.html

 

[echino]

I thought for a moment that we can ride from the airport to Hilton Hawaiian Village by train now. Turns out it's a "future segment" with undetermined date, probably more than 10 years from now.

 

[slip]

I thought for a moment that we can ride from the airport to Hilton Hawaiian Village by train now. Turns out it's a "future segment" with undetermined date, probably more than 10 years from now.

10 years would be optimistic wouldn't it.

 

[geist1223]

If it is at least 8 years to the Civic Center it is probably 15 years to Hilton area.

 

[b2bailey]

Wondering who they are aiming to serve?
Certainly not tourists.
Perhaps hospitality workers if they beef up bus service.

 

[sponger76]

Wondering who they are aiming to serve?
Certainly not tourists.
Perhaps hospitality workers if they beef up bus service.

It's absolutely not meant to cater to tourists, it's meant primarily to serve people that live on the west side of the island but work in or around Honolulu. It's a fairly large number of people, and the commute can be brutal. The rail was supposed to alleviate that, but I'm not optimistic that it will actually achieve that goal even when fully built out.

 

[Wolfepack88]

The locals told me they screwed up in procuring some of the components and had too many curved sections vs straights and they jury rigged it and so some sections look like a slalom course. In two years they will have it running to the airport (the tracks are there already) We finally got out of Oahu and my son missed his chance to ride it. He loves trains so he was bummed. My local friends told me the train just isn't convenient unless you live out west but then again you still have to take a bus because it doesn't get you to downtown. I hope they find the money to get it where it needs to go so it actually lives up to what it needs to be.

 

[alwysonvac]

From the RAIL FAQs -

FAQs - Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

Find accurate information, and dispel rumors about the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, by checking the Rail Facts.

honolulutransit.org

What is the purpose of the Project?
The purpose of the Honolulu Rail Transit Project is to provide high-capacity rapid transit in the highly congested east-west transportation corridor between Kapolei and UH Mānoa, as specified in the O‘ahu Regional Transportation Plan (ORTP) (O‘ahu MPO 2007). The Project is intended to provide faster, more reliable public transportation service in the study corridor than can be achieved with buses operating in congested mixed-flow traffic, to provide reliable mobility in areas of the study corridor where people of limited income and an aging population live, and to serve rapidly developing areas of the study corridor. The Project will also provide additional transit capacity, an alternative to private automobile travel, and improve transit links within the corridor.

Why is it important to get to Ala Moana?
The destination of reaching Ala Moana is important because of the location of the Ala Moana Transit Center, the City’s largest bus transit center. More than 1,500 daily bus routes pass through Ala Moana Transit Center, where rail riders will be able to easily transfer to frequent bus service and continue their trips to Waikiki, UH, Hawaii Kai or elsewhere.
Ala Moana is also the Locally Preferred Alternative as approved by the Honolulu City Council. Despite the proposed plan to have a temporary rail terminus at the Civic Center Station, the overall goal of reaching Ala Moana Transit Center does not change.

If the rail system stops short of Ala Moana, how will I get to my final destination?
The goal is still for the rail project to reach Ala Moana Transit Center. When the temporary rail system terminus is at the Civic Center Station, enhanced bus service will be provided to get riders to their final destinations. The City’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS) operates TheBus and Handi-Van and will also be operating the rail system. Frequent bus service will be available for rail riders at both the Downtown Station and the Civic Center Station, some with direct bus service to Waikiki, UH and to the Ala Moana Transit Center, where connections to other buses can be made.
It is interesting that, in the original ridership forecast for the Project, only 10 percent of the anticipated rail passengers were expected to have Kakaako or Ala Moana as their final destinations – meaning that 90 percent of the anticipated passengers would have exited rail before, or at, the Civic Center Station or would have boarded a bus at the Ala Moana Transit Center to get to their final destinations. Boarding a bus at the Downtown Station or the Civic Center Station will provide very comparable transit service to those passengers whose travel extends beyond Ala Moana.

Once the Civic Center Station terminus is reached, why not proceed at street level along King Street to Ala Moana and UH?
There are several reasons that a street-level rail system would not be feasible at this point of the Honolulu rail project, including:

• One significant reason is that the rail system is powered via a “third rail”, which is literally a separate rail that runs alongside the tracks. The trains receive electricity from the third rail, which carries 750 volts of electricity. Having a street-level system would require significant barriers to protect the public from the dangers of the third rail, which is currently achieved with the elevated guideway system.
• Another reason that a street-level system would be problematic is that the trains are expected to have approximate 6-minute headways (the time between trains) during peak hours of operation. That means, for a street-level system, certain intersections all along the route would need to be closed to traffic and pedestrians at least every 6 minutes for a train to pass. This would create additional traffic congestion on our streets that is avoided with the elevated guideway.

How will residents of Central Oahu or North Shore use rail if the parking garage at Pearl Highlands is not built?
The planned 1,600-stall parking garage at the Pearl Highlands station will be deferred due to the excessive cost of building it at the originally planned location. However, HART and the City’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS) are committed to working together to find an alternative location for a garage. Several potential options have been discussed but much more research will need to be done before a plan can be developed.
In the meantime, DTS will add additional and enhanced bus service from North Shore and Central Oahu locations that will enable passengers to board the rail system at a planned bus transit center that will be built directly adjacent to the Pearl Highlands Station.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Wondering who they are aiming to serve?
Certainly not tourists.
Perhaps hospitality workers if they beef up bus service.

Hospitality workers already have the W1,W2, and W3 buses that go almost non-stop from areas that they live West of Honolulu to Waikiki. So if they do ride the rail it will not help very much with traffic. If they take the rail they would then have to change to a Bus at Aloha Stadium. They would at least not have to deal with Bus traffic for a few miles, but they would still would need to change and take a Bus for the final 8 miles or so. It certainly will not will not get commuters to downtown Honolulu and the Ala Moana Mall very excited. When I started coming to Honolulu every winter in 2009 I heard about the rail and said why are they starting so far out the boonies instead of in downtown Honolulu. I am waiting to see what effect this will have on traffic and how many people will really ride it.

 

[DaveNV]

I'm glad to hear about this finally opening. They talked about a rail system when I lived on Oahu decades ago, to manage traffic flow. H-1 was a parking lot during rush hour back then, and is no better now. (Actually all the major roads get heavy use, so a rail system is a good option, if they can make it work.)

Dave

 

[ScoopKona]

In order for a rail system to be successful, it needs termini which make sense.

I'm willing to bet $1 this is as far as this monorail goes. (And this becomes another Simpsons moment.)

 

[Tamaradarann]

In order for a rail system to be successful, it needs termini which make sense.

I'm willing to bet $1 this is as far as this monorail goes. (And this becomes another Simpsons moment.)

Since you are only betting a $1 you can't be too certain that this is as far as this monorail goes. While I won't bet, since I have no clue on what the powers that be are thinking and planning with the rail, I will venture to guess that it may NEVER MAKE IT THROUGH DOWNTOWN HONOLULU. The first half of the rail has taken 14 years and four times as much money to get built in areas that don't have any where near the complications and problems with demoltion and building as in the middle of Honolulu. Over the years when I asked why they started to build the rail in the boonies, as opposed to the middle of Honolulu where many people need to get to for work, one of the answers I got was that it was too difficult to start in Downstown Honolulu. Well it might be too difficult to finish in Downstown Honolulu.

 

[ScoopKona]

Since you are only betting a $1 you can't be too certain that this is as far as this monorail goes. While I won't bet, since I have no clue on what the powers that be are thinking and planning with the rail, I will venture to guess that it may NEVER MAKE IT THROUGH DOWNTOWN HONOLULU. The first half of the rail has taken 14 years and four times as much money to get built in areas that don't have any where near the complications and problems with demoltion and building as in the middle of Honolulu. Over the years when I asked why they started to build the rail in the boonies, as opposed to the middle of Honolulu where many people need to get to for work, one of the answers I got was that it was too difficult to start in Downstown Honolulu. Well it might be too difficult to finish in Downstown Honolulu.

Use the Las Vegas Monorail as an example -- It was supposed to run from the airport to downtown. It only made it four city blocks. And that's all there is ever going to be. "We'll expand it outward!" Five years later, "Nobody is using this! Why throw good money after bad?"

 

[Tamaradarann]

Use the Las Vegas Monorail as an example -- It was supposed to run from the airport to downtown. It only made it four city blocks. And that's all there is ever going to be. "We'll expand it outward!" Five years later, "Nobody is using this! Why throw good money after bad?"

Those 4 blocks in Las Vegas are very large city blocks. I think each one is about 1 mile. There are 20 city blocks to a mile in Manhattan.
I just saw a chart on Hawaii News this morning showing the ridership on rail systems in cities in the United States. New York is by far the most used rail system. Originally the rail system was all above ground; elevated or on grade. There are mostly subways now with still a few elevated lines and a line or two on grade and in cuts. Many lines go over rivers and bays. However the reason that the New York subway system has such large amount of ridership is the lack or and expense of parking. It can easily cost $50 a day or more to park in Manhattan. Hourly parking is $5-10 and hardly ever do you get parking validation. When parking is free spots are few and far between so you can spend hours drving around looking for a spot. Therefore, you take mass transit(the rail) instead of dealing with the parking situation. If parking is scare and expensive people will ride the rail.

 

[ScoopKona]

Those 4 blocks in Las Vegas are very large city blocks. I think each one is about 1 mile.

The monorail runs from Sahara to Tropicana. That's it. It's about three miles. All that money and time and it doesn't go to the airport because the cabbies put up a big stink. "Oh no, we might lose money."

The termini make no sense because the airport isn't one terminus. It was a stupid, wasteful project. And probably the same thing is going to happen on Oahu. I wouldn't trust anyone involved with this project if their tongues were notarized via tattoo.

 

[dsmrp]

Since you are only betting a $1 you can't be too certain that this is as far as this monorail goes. While I won't bet, since I have no clue on what the powers that be are thinking and planning with the rail, I will venture to guess that it may NEVER MAKE IT THROUGH DOWNTOWN HONOLULU. The first half of the rail has taken 14 years and four times as much money to get built in areas that don't have any where near the complications and problems with demoltion and building as in the middle of Honolulu. Over the years when I asked why they started to build the rail in the boonies, as opposed to the middle of Honolulu where many people need to get to for work, one of the answers I got was that it was too difficult to start in Downstown Honolulu. Well it might be too difficult to finish in Downstown Honolulu.

My friend who lives in Mililani, west side Oahu, says the rail was originally proposed to the locals to start in the western side and end at the Univ of Hawaii campus. That is why she voted for tax increases to fund project. She was disgusted and angry when the end terminus got changed thru politics to Ala Moana shopping center. Then when project got mired in cost overruns, poor planning etc, it was proposed to end rail at the Middle street bus terminal.

 

[sponger76]

My friend who lives in Mililani, west side Oahu, says the rail was originally proposed to the locals to start in the western side and end at the Univ of Hawaii campus. That is why she voted for tax increases to fund project. She was disgusted and angry when the end terminus got changed thru politics to Ala Moana shopping center. Then when project got mired in cost overruns, poor planning etc, it was proposed to end rail at the Middle street bus terminal.

Mililani is more central than west Oahu, and was never on the proposed route. But when going toward downtown Honolulu/Waikiki for work, Mililani residents run into traffic from all the west-side residents from Makaha to Kapolei/Ewa Beach/Waipahu at the H1/H2 merge, and of course the same thing in reverse at the end of the day. But I had the same experience, hopeful about the rail providing at least some relief, then more and more disappointment/anger at the lengthy delays, cost overruns, and eventual shortening of the route. I know they say that eventually it will go to Ala Moana and beyond, but I'm skeptical, and even if it does happen, it'll take way too long. In a lot of ways I miss living in Hawaii, where I grew up, but things like this make me glad I don't live there now. I feel bad for my friends and family that still do.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Mililani is more central than west Oahu, and was never on the proposed route. But when going toward downtown Honolulu/Waikiki for work, Mililani residents run into traffic from all the west-side residents from Makaha to Kapolei/Ewa Beach/Waipahu at the H1/H2 merge, and of course the same thing in reverse at the end of the day. But I had the same experience, hopeful about the rail providing at least some relief, then more and more disappointment/anger at the lengthy delays, cost overruns, and eventual shortening of the route. I know they say that eventually it will go to Ala Moana and beyond, but I'm skeptical, and even if it does happen, it'll take way too long. In a lot of ways I miss living in Hawaii, where I grew up, but things like this make me glad I don't live there now. I feel bad for my friends and family that still do.

Well what I have said on TUG for years about where to vacation in Hawaii is also true about where to live in Hawaii. If you must have a car I would go or live on another island than Oahu. They are all great and different. If you want to vacation or live without a car you want to be in Honolulu. We are living in Waikiki without a car so that the traffic or the rail that is supposed to relieve the traffic is not a personal issue. We can walk or take a bus to whatever we need or want to do. Traffic is not a problem and I feel sorry for friends and family or don't live here particular when they get older and can't or don't want to drive anymore.

 

[dsmrp]

Mililani is more central than west Oahu, and was never on the proposed route. But when going toward downtown Honolulu/Waikiki for work, Mililani residents run into traffic from all the west-side residents from Makaha to Kapolei/Ewa Beach/Waipahu at the H1/H2 merge, and of course the same thing in reverse at the end of the day. But I had the same experience, hopeful about the rail providing at least some relief, then more and more disappointment/anger at the lengthy delays, cost overruns, and eventual shortening of the route. I know they say that eventually it will go to Ala Moana and beyond, but I'm skeptical, and even if it does happen, it'll take way too long. In a lot of ways I miss living in Hawaii, where I grew up, but things like this make me glad I don't live there now. I feel bad for my friends and family that still do.

Yes I know Mililani was never in any design. My friend was in favor of rail because her daughter and many friends would spend over an hour, one way, commuting to the UH campus 15 yrs ago. Not that she expected it to be completed by the time her daughter graduated.

I have many family still living on Oahu, mostly Honolulu, so have heard about rail every time I visit. One of the later controversies was to bypass Honolulu Community College or move the station stop so far away as to not be practical for students. Good to see the college is still on the route map, but maybe in name only??

 

[sponger76]

Well what I have said on TUG for years about where to vacation in Hawaii is also true about where to live in Hawaii. If you must have a car I would go or live on another island than Oahu. They are all great and different. If you want to vacation or live without a car you want to be in Honolulu. We are living in Waikiki without a car so that the traffic or the rail that is supposed to relieve the traffic is not a personal issue. We can walk or take a bus to whatever we need or want to do. Traffic is not a problem and I feel sorry for friends and family or don't live here particular when they get older and can't or don't want to drive anymore.

It's not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. One, the other islands don't have nearly as many jobs, especially higher paying ones. Plus in certain areas they too have bad traffic at times. Two, for those living on Oahu, not everybody can live in Honolulu/Waikiki, the vast majority of housing lies outside of that area. Three, for those who do live outside of Honolulu/Waikiki but work there because that's where the majority of better-paying jobs are, taking the bus isn't very convenient a lot of times. It can take hours to get around, even compared to sitting in traffic in your own car. I would know, I grew up in Waimanalo but went to high school and then worked in Honolulu and at times had to use the bus. Having a car, while inconvenient due to traffic, saved hours per day just in commute time so I could actually have a life during the week outside of going to/from and being at work/school. The times I was reliant on TheBus, I would go home, shower, sleep, wake up and leave again because that's all I had time for due to the commute.

 

[Tamaradarann]

It's not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. One, the other islands don't have nearly as many jobs, especially higher paying ones. Plus in certain areas they too have bad traffic at times. Two, for those living on Oahu, not everybody can live in Honolulu/Waikiki, the vast majority of housing lies outside of that area. Three, for those who do live outside of Honolulu/Waikiki but work there because that's where the majority of better-paying jobs are, taking the bus isn't very convenient a lot of times. It can take hours to get around, even compared to sitting in traffic in your own car. I would know, I grew up in Waimanalo but went to high school and then worked in Honolulu and at times had to use the bus. Having a car, while inconvenient due to traffic, saved hours per day just in commute time so I could actually have a life during the week outside of going to/from and being at work/school. The times I was reliant on TheBus, I would go home, shower, sleep, wake up and leave again because that's all I had time for due to the commute.

I totally agree with what you said here. The areas outside of the urban Honolulu area is much like the other islands of Hawaii as far as needing a car. Furthermore, as you said the traffic is bad getting into urban Honolulu.