It’s 8:30 a.m. on opening day of the new Skyline rail segment from Middle Street to Aloha Stadium, including the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
Rail cars are filled with folks from the westside heading into town for work, college kids getting off at the transfer station to catch TheBus, and many first-time riders who hopped on just to test it out Thursday morning.
Among the passengers is veteran Skyline rider Dieter Matautia. He’s been using the rail since it first opened in 2023 and says this second segment makes his commute from Waiʻanae into town easier and more direct.
“Everything's pretty good. The bus goes right to the (Kapolei) station, so I don't have to worry about having to park my car, because some people are scared their car might get broken into,” Matautia said.
“I don't have to worry about traffic. In the morning, you just jump on it and you don't hit traffic at all. In the afternoon, when you're coming back, you don't hit traffic at all either. My hour in traffic is now maybe 20 minutes.”
One rider, Marvhin Sadio, walks off the train with his hands full of snacks — he just traveled the entire stretch of both segments to make it to Kapolei from his home in town.
He says visiting his friends, family, and getting his favorite food is now a 10-minute bus ride plus a 25-minute Skyline ride away.
But he isn’t completely convinced the new segment can override the controversy that has surrounded this project, mostly about the estimated cost, which stands now at $10 billion.
“There’s definitely mixed reactions about this that I’ve heard, like it being called a money pit, or wasted taxpayers’ money,” Sadio said. “But I think this could really benefit a lot of people now, even me, who can go visit my friends who live out in ʻEwa. That drive gets really tiring.”
The skepticism continued for Dan Nakashima, who said he's excited for the new airport stop.
He’s concerned about the logistics as a whole, specifically what he should do with his luggage going to and from the airport.
“If I don't have a car, my only means of getting to (Skyline) is the city bus, and I don't know if we could bring our luggage on TheBus, but if they say, ‘No, cannot,’ then that's the downfall. I want to look into that to see whether the city bus can provide for that, but I don't know at this point.”
According to Skyline's website, luggage is allowed on dedicated racks. Many riders took advantage of this policy on opening day and brought their computer bags and wagons, and stored their bikes in empty spaces near their seats.
But TheBus website says luggage that does not fit under a seat or in a rider’s lap will not be allowed.
“There's the good and the bad,” Nakashima said. “So right now, what do I think about it so far? I don't know yet. I'm still deciding.”
For folks like Nakashima who want to try out the new segment, they can ride for free this weekend with a HOLO card.
HPR's Tori DeJournett contributed to this story.
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