Being Hawaii’s largest public works effort, the Honolulu Rail Transit Project presents a lot of great details for the public to learn and understand about their future transit system. Many community members regularly ask HART staff about project’s system details and operational benefits, so here’s the top line details to get you up to speed on the rail system.
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES
· The 20-mile elevated rail system will include 21 stations and will be the heart of O‘ahu’s public transportation system. The only at-grade (ground level) station will be Hālaulani (Leeward Community College) Station.
· The project will connect West O‘ahu with downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana Center via Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
· Travel time from Kualaka‘i (East Kapolei) Station to Kalia (Ala Moana Center) Station will be 42 minutes, which will include the time spent at the stations for loading and unloading of passengers on and off the trains.
· Future planned extensions could serve other areas including University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa, West O‘ahu, Salt Lake, and Waikīkī.
· Educational institutions along the alignment include UH-West O‘ahu, Leeward Community College, Honolulu Community College, and Hawaii Pacific University. An extension to UH-Mānoa can be built as the project is expanded in the future.
· The rail system will link the growing region of West O‘ahu with major employment centers along the alignment including Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, downtown Honolulu, and Ala Moana Center.
SYSTEM BENEFITS
· Rail transit will be a fast, affordable, safe, and reliable alternative to driving for many commuters.
· The elevated rail system will provide passengers with a congestion-free commute.
· During the launch of Full Revenue Service, more than 100,000 passenger trips are forecast for the rail system every weekday.
· Rail transit will be powered by electricity and benefits from the most promising advances in alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind and biofuels.
SYSTEM INTERGRATION & OPERATION
· Rail will be fully integrated with the City bus system.
· A single system-wide transit smart card called the HOLO Card will be used by passengers to move seamlessly between TheBus and the rail system.
· The rail system will be operated from the 43-acre LEED certified Rail Operations Center (ROC), which is also where the train fleet will undergo servicing and maintenance. The ROC is located between Waipahu High School and Leeward Community College.
· The ROC is also where the system’s Control Center is housed with staffing to safely operate the fully-automated, driverless trains.
· The system’s safety and security is also managed at this location with 1,500+ high-definition closed-circuit TV cameras on the trains, at stations, and in the common areas of the project.