Nancy Arashiro, 14, was in line with her dad at the Keone‘ae University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu Skyline Station when the doors opened Friday afternoon.
Arashiro’s never experienced anything quite like this, but this weekend presented an opportunity to dry run her high school commute, which begins in the fall.
"I've never really been on like a rail or public transportation in general, and I think in the next few years of my life, it'll be quite important," she said.
The excitement of rail’s opening began at 2 p.m., on Friday, June 30, and ran throughout the weekend. More than 40,500 rail riders made it out, according to the city's Department of Transportation Services.
Clifford Heard sat watch at the Waipahu station. The 64-year-old wasn’t sure he’d ever get a chance to ride the $10 billion project that’s been decades in the making.
"I want to ride it because I might not have a chance to ride it," Heard said, mentioning his health issues. "Right now, it looks like it's so crowded people are not getting off. I guess it must be a good ride."
The Waipahu resident said it's unlike Honolulu’s other mass transit system, which he took to get to the station.
"It's not like TheBus, because the bus would have to stop at the traffic lights and all that," Heard said. "But there really is just a one-time onward. If you go forward, you're going all the way already."
The first segment of Skyline operates about 11 miles. Many who rode the rail this weekend hopped on at one station, and rode the whole way, maybe stopping along the way to get a feel for Honolulu’s newest amenity.
In total, from Halawa to East Kapolei, riders can expect a 22-minute one-way trip, or 45 minutes roundtrip, for the nine-stop ride.
California resident Spencer Reed was in Honolulu on business. A civil engineer by trade, Reed specializes in traffic and transportation.
"The system is really, in my view, really geared toward residential community, which is great," he said. "I mean, that's what's really going to help a transit system survive. I think, though, there is an opportunity to help the visitor and the tourism industry here, and I think the extensions to the airport will really help put that over the top"
The next segment of the rail should open in 2025 and will connect the existing part to Middle Street, and add stops to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the Lelepaua Daniel K. Inouye International Airport station.
Eventually, the rail will make its way to what's known as the Civic Center in Kakaʻako. This is two miles shorter than the anticipated end at Ala Moana Center which was cut for funding.
Despite the line being shorter, residents will still use Skyline in tandem with TheBus to get to their downtown destinations.
Joy Cabebe lives a 10-minute walk from the Waipahu Skyline station. Although she doesn’t intend to use it often, she said her daughter will.
"My daughter who works at Ala Moana, she plans to use the rail, and then TheBus from the stadium, she’s going to give it a try," Cabebe said.
Cabebe doesn’t drive anymore and uses a cane to walk. She found her ride rough.
"(We) went to the stadium twice, back and forth," she said. "It was like on the first part, it was like being on the plane with turbulence."
But others, like Glenn Hong, came to check out the rail from farther away. Hong lives just above Kaimukī, so he won’t be using the rail frequently.
"In this experience riding the rail, it's smooth; it's got great views," Hong said. "I would have hoped that they would have gotten a grade for some portions of it, particularly as they get into town, but, you know, I guess that's not in the cards," Hong said.
Hong rode from Halawa to Waipahu and hopped off to grab a bite to eat at the recommendation of a friend.
"We want to drop a little economic impact in Waipahu," he said.
Skyline runs from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Read more of HPR's Skyline coverage below:
