Honolulu’s rail system will start operations June 30, 2023
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Maglev
Conductor
This has been so long in coming, and it will be a long time before it actually goes where people want to go. The best they can say for the extension to Ala Moana is "future segment"? I always regarded Ala Moana as the island's transit center.
It certainly looks like they tackled the easy/least necessary part first. Should any portion of the remainder fail to be completed the term "white elephant" will likely be applied to whatever is built at the time. Even an infrequent visitor to Waikiki will recognize the green route plus the airport is the real need and, echoing the comment above, the Ala Moana situation is puzzling.
There have been other railways in Hawaii: Oahu Land and Railway Company maps Hawaiian Railway Historical Society It's a shame what has been destroyed, or otherwise lost, in the name of "progress."
joelkfla
Engineer
Does everyone in Hawaii go to bed at 7pm? Seems like an awfully early closing time.
BCL
Engineer
Must be Island Time.
Lot of people on the road at 4am local to be into work in time for West Coast business hours. Makes for interesting 2pm road traffic.
cirdan
Engineer
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I've never been to Honolulu, but recently did some virtual exploring using Google satellite view and it was interesting to observe how the city has a more or less linear shape, naturally restricted by the ocean on one side and mountainous terrain on the other. Such a long and narrow linear city seems to me to be naturally suited for some form of commuter rail.
DavidSh
Train Attendant
After 7pm the evening rush should be over, and you can take The Bus with less chance of being stuck in traffic.
It is, but Honolulu proper uses almost all of that space. Interstate H1 was kind of jammed in there in the late 1950s and early 60s and can't really be upgraded. So almost all of the freeway entrances and exits are from that era: exceptionally short ramps and merge spaces, plus three (maybe four) narrow lanes each way IIRC.
I'd rather drive the 405.
jis
Permanent Way Inspector
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H1 is pretty much like any of the highways in the New York City area. If one is used to those they should have no problem on H1. Having been a resident of the NY City area for 40+ years I was perfectly at home there, including the bumper to bumper traffic. It was even better once I figured out the off highway roads to get around jams on the highway.
Unfortunately it does not make it quite to Waikiki apparently even after its final phase is in place.
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Metra Electric Rider
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At least it's finally happening. I always wonder how and what would have happened if all the cities that had investigated subway construction in the 60's when there was federal funding would have turned out - I think Seattle, Detroit and Minneapolis all looked at building subways.
Another big rail project where mangers decided to do the "easy" part first. Forgetting the whole point of mass transit projects exist to move people in/out of high density areas. Spend $X billions to move almost no people at the start, when you could have spend $X + 1 billion to move lots of people from the start. Now inflation / interest rates will be eating them from behind during the toughest part of the project in the next decade.
Same mistake California HSR made.
Same mistake California HSR made.
cirdan
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Not sure I agree there.
California HSR was sold as a SF to LA super-fast connector. As such it only fulfils its actual purpose when it is complete and anything else is just going to make it a glorified commuter or regional intercity service.
At this point it becomes a question of pitting one regions interests against those of another when you prioritize one segment over another. But no matter in which order you build the bits, the big purpose isn't delivered until the last bit is complete.
You could maybe say it is a question of mis-managed expectations. Maybe an inter city service in the Central Valley is a worthy purpose in itself and this was mis-sold as something it isn't. The Japanese sold the initial segment as a standalone Tokyo to Osaka train and not so much as the first segment of a line that would connect Japan from end to end - even though plans for that bigger project were already on the back burner before construction of the first segment had begun. Maybe people back in the 1960s would have been disppointed to see this project not being realized in their lifetimes had it ben sold to them like that.
Of course I agree in the case of Honololu it is disappointing to see the first segment being a train connecting suburbs rather than starting from the downtown area where it is needed most urgently.
