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, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa), Hawaiʻi Kai or elsewhere.

In 2007, the Honolulu City Council established the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) as a fixed guideway system between Kapolei and Ala Moana. In 2008, the City Council authorized planning, design and construction for the Minimum Operable Segment, which is that portion of the LPA between the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu and Ala Moana Center.

The Amended Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) was finalized in February 2024 to have a temporary rail terminus at the Civic Center Station. However, the overall goal of reaching the Ala Moana Transit Center does not change.