FTA Approves $1.55 Billion In Federal Funding For Honolulu
Rail Transit Project
In a historic day for the Honolulu rail transit project, the
Federal Transit Administration today notified Congress that it
will sign a $1.55 billion full funding grant agreement (FFGA)
with the City and County of Honolulu by the end of
this year.
“Today is truly a great day for the Honolulu rail project and
the residents of Oahu as the FTA has informed Congress of its
intention to sign the FFGA for $1.55 billion in federal money
for the project,” said HART Executive Director and CEO
Dan Grabauskas. “Many people deserve a lot of credit for
helping the rail project achieve this long-awaited milestone.
We want to especially thank those on the federal level -the FTA,
the Obama Administration and our Hawaii congressional delegation
led by Sen. Inouye – who worked tirelessly and closely with
the City over the years throughout this funding approval
process.”
The signing of the FFGA is the final step of the FTA’s New
Starts federal funding process for new rail systems, and makes
available $200 million to the Honolulu rail project for fiscal
year 2012.
“This is the best holiday gift the citizens of Honolulu could
possibly receive: the lean, clean, smart city of the future,”
Mayor Peter Carlisle said. “And the $250 million appropriation
included for Honolulu in the President’s proposed FY2013 budget
is the single largest amount for any New Starts project in the
United States.”
Honolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin said, “The City Council
has worked toward this goal for nearly eight years now, and
we’re happy to see everyone’s efforts have paid off. We’ll
continue our support for the rail transit project as it moves
forward.”
“This landmark announcement is the culmination of the hard work
and perseverance of so many people throughout the years,” said
HART board chairwoman Carrie Okinaga. “On behalf of the HART
board, we sincerely thank all of our federal, State, local and
private sector partners and leaders who have helped to bring
these grant monies home to Hawaii. We enthusiastically restate
our commitment to building this project on time and within
budget, and providing a more efficient and
environmentally-friendly transportation system for our
residents.”