The planning phase to extend the Honolulu rail to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa can now start, but a new segment on its other terminus, on the Kapolei side, could come first.
Skyline’s current route is slated to end at the Ala Moana Center, but last week the Honolulu City Council passed Bill 60 to give the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation the go-ahead to plan how to bring it to UH.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the agency tasked with orchestrating construction, was previously only allowed to work on the “minimum operating segment,” which ranges from its current east Kapolei station to its planned end at Ala Moana.
While the eastbound extensions of the rail are more highly anticipated, a short segment extending the west side of the rail further into Kapolei could be an easier job.
Last week, some Honolulu councilmembers floated the idea of extending the rail to Ka Makana Aliʻi mall in Kapolei.
"In my district, that little segment is more of a doable option, maybe, in the foreseeable future,” said Councilmember Andria Tupola, whose district covers Oʻahu’s west side.
That additional station could be less than a mile long, but Tupola said it could have a big impact.
“We’re doing as much as we can with buses, trying to transport people from the rail station to the hotel that’s in the mall,” Tupola added. “The fact that it goes to the airport, there are a lot of people that use it now from that point, but it would be a lot more useful if it went to the mall.”
At a HART meeting on Friday, Chair Kiko Bukowski shared that interest.
“I would like for the board to consider how we can start having those kinds of discussions on how we can either move westward or … eastward. But to some of the councilmembers' points, westward is something that maybe we can look at a little bit more in the immediate future,” Bukowski said.
Discussions focusing on that Kapolei extension have already taken place, HART officials said.
As the rail expands and reaches more people, there has been interest in opening smaller segments of the rail more quickly.
Bukowski has even suggested opening the new segments of rail as each station is built, though HART said that could be difficult and more expensive due to logistics.
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