Rail again in deficit danger zone
DENNIS ODA / JAN. 13
Please be advised that the Council will have no choice but to stand firmly behind its decision that no more money generated by the GET tax extension be appropriated for this project. For the sake of Oahu’s taxpayers, we need to stop the bleeding.”
Ernie Martin
City Council chairman in a March 24 letter to HART chairman Don Horner about Oahu’s rail project. Pictured above is the rail construction in Kapolei.
As rail costs continue to climb, questions are mounting over whether a new five-year tax extension will generate enough money to complete the 20-mile transit project.
At this time last year, when state lawmakers were still debating the 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge extension, rail officials testified it would likely provide the funds they needed to finish the project — with hundreds of millions of dollars to spare.
Since then, however, costs have swelled by at least another $415 million, and the total cash the extension is expected to produce has been downgraded from $1.8 billion to $1.52 billion, based on the most recent official estimates.
Also, completion of the rail has been delayed by about two years, pushing the largest public works project in state history deeper into one of the nation’s hottest building markets.
The future transit system’s planners did not foresee challenges presented by utility-pole clearances along the rail route, which could drive up costs even more. They say they’re still negotiating with Hawaiian Electric Co., but if talks don’t go their way, the project could be delayed by as long as another year.
Now, instead of discussing what they’ll do with an eventual cash surplus, they’re holding their breath that the tax extension approved by the Honolulu City Council in January will be enough to get them to the finish line.
“We have been gravely concerned with projections that costs are rising so fast,” Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Executive Director Dan Grabauskas said Thursday. “None of us are happy, and we are equally frustrated by the circumstances that we have to face. But we’re losing sleep, working hard to address what we can affect.”
Both Grabauskas and HART board Chairman Don Horner say they want to wait to see bid prices on the remaining work before declaring whether the project is in jeopardy of running out of cash again.
HART is slated to receive the first of those bid proposals later this week, but the public won’t know the details until after the agency evaluates the proposals and awards the contract. That could be in June at the earliest, Grabauskas said.
The project’s latest official cost estimate stands at $6.57 billion, although critics such as former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano have long argued the final price tag will be considerably more.
Amid rail’s worsening fiscal climate, the city’s top two elected leaders — who are political rivals — recently put their misgivings about the project in writing to rail officials.
“I remain deeply concerned and, quite frankly, unconvinced that HART is adequately managing and mitigating the potential risks to both project schedule and budget associated with the utility locations,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell wrote to Grabauskas in a March 21 letter obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Caldwell, who said in this year’s State of the City address that his reputation was on the line, expressed concerns in the letter that the public doesn’t realize just how big a challenge rail still faces because HART officials don’t discuss the full magnitude in rail board meetings.
| $6.57B
The Honolulu rail project’s latest official cost estimate $1.52B Estimated amount the new five-year rail tax extension is expected to produce |
Grabauskas said HART staff is doing its best to rein in costs.
“We’re doing what we can,” he said on Thursday. “Here’s what we don’t control — we don’t control the economy, and it is red-hot. We don’t control utilities, and we have to follow what they impose.”
City Council Chairman Ernie Martin, who’s considering a mayoral run against Caldwell, sent a letter to Horner several days after Caldwell.
“Please be advised that the Council will have no choice but to stand firmly behind its decision that no more money generated by the GET tax extension be appropriated for this project,” Martin’s March 24 letter stated. “For the sake of Oahu’s taxpayers, we need to stop the bleeding.” (Martin’s letter refers to a $1.1 billion limit for rail costs from the cash extension, although the ordinance allows HART to spend past that limit after the agency gives the Council an update.)
Horner said Thursday, “The board appreciates and shares Chair Martin’s concerns regarding costs.”
It’s not clear what will happen if the extension doesn’t cover the project’s full cost. Caldwell was unavailable to comment because he’s out of state on vacation. His office provided his and Martin’s letters in response to queries about whether he’s concerned the five-year extension won’t be enough.
An email from Peter Boylan, the City Council’s housing coordinator, stated that Martin declined to comment further on the topic.
HART presented its most recent financial estimates in October. The update relied on more recent GET collection data to conclude the project will get nearly $300 million less from the tax extension than HART previously thought.
The October balance sheet exhausts the entire $1.52 billion revenue projected from the tax extension. It covers ballooning costs and it leaves rail with a $539 million contingency cushion to handle unforeseen costs.
That contingency represents 14 percent of all the remaining construction work, according to HART. The project’s federal partners, meanwhile, recommended a contingency of no less than 13 percent for the rail, agency officials say.
Those numbers from nearly six months ago don’t leave rail leaders with much room to maneuver. And since then, the construction market has gotten more expensive, analysts said.
An update with new rail budget numbers should come out in two months at the earliest, Grabauskas said.
He and other rail officials acknowledged they face a tougher climate than last year, when Grabauskas informed lawmakers that the project was facing a $910 million shortfall and that a five-year tax extension should provide more than enough cash to fill the puka.
At that hearing, held March 4, 2015, before the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Caldwell lobbied for a longer tax extension — just in case things changed.
“We can’t come back again,” Caldwell told the lawmakers. “And no council is going to go and vote to actually raise it twice.”
HART gave the Legislature the best information it had at the time, according to Grabauskas and Horner.
However, Horner, a retired First Hawaiian Bank chairman, who became HART board chairman in September, said he probably would have stressed the uncertainty still clouding rail’s price if he had participated in the hearings.
“What Don Horner would have said — and continues to say — is no one knows,” he said Monday, after officials held groundbreaking ceremonies for three West Oahu rail stations. “When you deal with construction, there’s never certainty.”
In November, during a City Council hearing on the tax extension, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi expressed her frustration at that seemingly endless uncertainty.
“Over the years, as the numbers keep changing, the trust and confidence keeps changing also,” Kobayashi said. “It erodes.”
191 responses to “Rail again in deficit danger zone”
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So, we got those train cars how many years too early? Is the replacement price in those estimates too?
Just think, if/when TheRail reaches Aloha Stadium and they start it’s service. They’d be starting taxpayers monies subsidizing the operation to run it before the rail line is completed. Does it make sense to start the the operation of TheRail early which in turn starts spending money subsidizing TheRail and that’s besides money needed to complete the project? Starting TheRail service early does not generate excess funds but does the opposite as it’s never going to be a self-supporting entity.
The initial delays are the culprit. Rail should have been built decades ago. Now the rail is competing in a red hot luxury condominium market where the construction of the latter is more profitable to the contractors. Rail is for our better future and actually should be elevated to highest priority for completion all the way to downtown. Our shortage of housing and the new proposed developments in Kakaako and yesterday’s news of affordable housing in Kapalama go hand in hand with the rail project. Rail will be an integrated part of building a better future for children and grandchildren where we will be less car centric. Traffic congestion is outrageous and we need rail. Let’s all be positive and get rail finished and do what it takes.
uku – Leave the excuses behind and deal with the present. This statement from Grabby Boy is pure shibai, “Grabauskas said HART staff is doing its best to rein in costs.” Total shibai.
If Grabby and his staff were competent, they are not, had done their jobs from day one, they would have reviewed the entire rail route and started asking questions about under grounding power lines.
The fact Grabby didn’t have a clue about power line under grounding, doesn’t have a clue where rail will get the electrical power it needs, and so many other areas proves he lacks credibility, is not a competent rail manager, is being paid to basically do nothing.
Feds are ok with the Nei ending rail at the Middle Street Bus Station as it would show the Nei is finally realizing rail management totally failed in their jobs. This would save billions and cut construction time.
For the sake of our children and grandchildren, do not burden them with the excessive, crushing cost of rail’s O&M, currently estimated at $10-15 million per month. Shorten the route, save their future. Do it now.
City Council Chairman Ernie Martin,sent a letter to Horner: “Please be advised that the Council will have no choice but to stand firmly behind its decision that no more money generated by the GET tax extension be appropriated for this project”.
Chairman Martin should demand a Plan “B” from HART: To stop rail at Aloha Stadium or Middle Street.
Without rail, our children and grandchildren have no future… We kupunas worry about the future because we know that we wont be around to affect anything.
uku=BS
The future will look brighter when wiliki ain’t around to screw it up.
wiliki – A typical weak minded rail minion who mistakenly thinks rail will solve all the Nei’s problems, put dinner on everyone’s table, give everyone a perfect life, cure ED and so much more.
Fact is with rail our children and grandchildren will have a diminished future due to the crushing tax they must pay to subsidize money pit rail’s monthly O&M costs. Currently estimated between $10-15 million per month and climbing.
End rail at Aloha Stadium or Middle Street Bus Station to save billions, eliminate gridlock while under grounding HECO power line, spare are workers hours of lost time.
End this debacle now. Fire Grabby for his utter incompetence.
Ukulele & wiliki= BS SAME ON BOTH OF THEM_____AS WELL AS THE MAYOR, HART & CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
The rail troll comments are becoming more and more ridiculous and full of nonsense. Reality is making your statements become like talking from both sides of your mouth and making sure we the people of integrity never to believe what you say.
You’re right let’s raise taxes and get this done!
Traffic congestion? Blame the dratted population growth caused by immigration. It’s time to stop it! “Undevelopped” countries unload their irresponsibly produced offspring into the civilized world.
wiliki says: Without rail, our children and grandchildren have no future.
Actually, with rail, one future for our children and grandchildren that is guaranteed is higher taxes to pay for this monstrosity that is called rail.
Wiliki says “Without rail, our children and grandchildren have no future… We kupunas worry about the future because we know that we wont be around to affect anything” You should be ashamed of using the word Kupuna. You are not Hawaiian because no Kupuna would allow the rape of the land and people that you are promoting.
STOP RAIL NOW!
It’s already obsolete before it’s built.
SHAME
The train cars will be obsolete by the time the rail becomes operational. Just a sign of stupidity…city’s way of doing things..the carriage before the horse.
Undoubtedly, in the infinite wisdom of the City/County Council and Honolulu’s nefarious Mayor, a new “BILL” will be drafted to remand the enslavement of all of the Citizens/Taxpayers of Oahu to work on “THE RAIL”.
Later, after several years of enslavement–we can all move to China where we can put our newly learned skills to work on various infrastructure projects for the Chinese Government. MAYBE, it’s time to STOP THE RAIL? End it at THE STADIUM! Build the State-Of-The-Art Bus Depot and use the excess allotted funds to replace and build INFRASTRUCTURE, new Roadways, Sewage Systems, and Drinking Water, etc.. These “Cost Overrides will never end! Look at what is happening in Downtown Honolulu! Everyone is moving their offices closer to Beretania Street–because THE RAIL IS A BLIGHT! If everyone is so worried about “Tourism”; then, do you believe Tourists travel to Hawaii/Oahu to ride THE RAIL? It’s UGLY, OUTDATED, CORRUPT, and is a MALFEASANCE–no one can afford or needs! STOP THE RAIL! Demand that THE RAIL be on a Voter Ballot–this time: “YES-RAIL” or “NO-RAIL”, instead of “Heavy-Rail” or “Light-Rail” (“Hemlock” or “Cyanide”?)? There will be more FULL-TIME PERMANENT JOBS if the monies are spent on the aforementioned improvements. WAKE UP!
The worst part of all this? The rail was presented to the public under tha facade that it would help relieve traffic as its final destination was suppposed to be UH Manoa. Now the final stop is at Ala Moana and more than 10,000 new homes will be built out on the west side, thus rail will actually contribute to making traffic worse. Not to mention all the folks who ride the bus who will now drive because the rail operation will cause their commute times to double since express buses routes will be cancelled when rail is running.
It has been overtly clear from the start that rail would have negligible effect on traffic.
Rail can go to the UH in the second increment of construction.
Yup, imagine an incredibly inconvenient 4-hour daily commute by car/train/bus or bus/train/bus and then the same in reverse going home. People will rather commute via cheap, ultra-efficient self-driving electric cars. Only the poorest people will ride the train in the future.
Irt pj: everyone’s trip is different. As is cities all over the world, riders will use rail to their benefit. Wherever rail can be used, the total trip elapsed time will be reduced. Anyone who has actually ridden rail before understands the convenience and less hassle than suffering through traffic congestion and searching for parking. Express buses are vulnerable to traffic jams and is inferior to fast train ride.
irt uku – You fail to understand with any rail system, all it takes is one stalled train and the entire system shuts down until the train can either be restarted or pushed all the way back to the maintenance area.
As we all know, the Nei has a track record of willfully failing to perform the required manufacturer’s maintenance on equipment – Zip Mobile break down, and failing to maintain our roads and infrastructure.
Does anyone honestly believe rail will be a utopia? Nothing will go wrong during operation. Nothing will break down. Power will never fail.
Well, uku does but all the rest of us who correctly predicted all these ongoing rail problems know better. Rail will break down. It will leave passengers stranded until they can be rescued, until the problems are fixed.
Rail will spur to west kapolei to the Staradvertiser plant,Kapolei commons and after the Kapolei Parkway extends to Ko Olina. The east spur will go to Ewa beach via Kapolei Parkway. Those spurs will generate more then 25k daily riders. It will be a “door to door”operation.
IRT wiliki and Nanakuliboss, for rail to be extended, there needs to be a funding source, and as of right now, the current funding source, ie. the GET surcharge, even with its 5 year extension, is showing it might still not be enough to finish to Ala Moana. To get more funding to extend the line will require additional taxes that most of the public will be against. So how do you propose the city get the additional funding to extend the current line.
It’s time for a major audit.
RUSTY THE SCREECHING HATED RAIL REARS ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN & AGAIN. Built on a foundation of lies, deception and backroom cash laden deals the BOONDOGGLE continues to amaze the general public with the stupidity of our city officials.
Does seriously nobody here have a connection with NBC? This is absolutely prime for a Dateline story.
Dude Honolulu has already been made the fool for doing this rail by the New York Times.
Honolulu is the laughing stock of the nation as the RAIL approaches 10 BILLION DOLLARS or stops short at the Stadium because of the graff our city Officials have committed
Time for the Feds to take a look at Horner. His conflicts of interest go beyond a small mistake. And the free cement pours at his North Shore mansion?
I wrote # letters to the Federal DOT about a year apart and after Cayetano ran for mayor. I asked for a response, but I never heard a word. Maybe a news show is a better idea, thanks for the suggestion. Also, this just shows why the citizens of this state feel that no one is listening.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40220716/#.VwLq7KQrKUk
This is the NBC webpage for story ideas. You don’t need to have connections, but it would be helpful if everyone sends in a request for a story. Get you friends on the mainland to send in a request!
So we force business owners near Ala Moana Center to sell at a discount and we can’t even pay to complete the first phase of the failed Mufi Rail.
Well I’ll be dam. Who did the research and the projections? Bet those bugga’s are getting fat. And Caldwell please, you lost your credibility a long time ago. With that the University would be a top 10 school in academics and sports. We might have even been in the PAC 12 with that kind of money available.
It’s common knowledge that both Caldwell and Martin will seek to make the GE tax extension permanent after the election. Both of them have known from the start that rail would cost much more than 6.7 billion but are lying to the public. Hart was created specifically to shield Caldwell and the council from criticism they knew would come as cost increases slowly became known to the public. PRP owns them all, the politicians will do as their special interest masters dictate. Rail will cost upwards of 10 billion and take twice as long as they’re saying to build.
Marcel again unsubstantiated innuendo. Like the rest of the SA that you all grumble about when misspelled or leading headlines are flopped out. It’s another he said she said bs from Horne.
To all. By the time the rail has been completed the weather and salt air will have started to damage the infrastructure resulting in costly repairs and delays in rail service.
The Rail is BS. Enough of the never ending cost overruns and the need for more money. Shut it down. Sometimes you just have to admit it was a bad investment and quit. Or like a gambler who is chasing bets. They will never stop until they are broke and ruined. We also need a vote of no confidence in Grabby and fire him.
There has been no accountability in this project. It’s literally a black hole for tax dollars.
Baloney… the financing plan is solid. Rail is already paid for. Ernie should be fired for playing politics with rail.
wiliki you have got to be the most dumbest poster in the history of newspaper online commentary.
Wili is NOT dumb, just bought out with no conscience.
Have to disagree inverse. The city engineer is actually not so bright as his natural state. Thanks to him and his Jacka$$ boss we are in mess after mess.
Wiliki and his lies. If rail is already paid for why are they asking for more money every month or so?
Child labor for needy kids!
Oh yeah…Wiliki….go shove your shill propaganda back up your bleedin r*e*c*t*u*m
Rail is already paid for?? LOL ..yea right, as Horner indicated, they don’t even officially know how much it’s going to cost. Personally, I think they’ve known from the start but lied because they know the public would never support rail if they knew upfront it would cost 10 billion+.
When the politicians, City Council & Mayor receive Hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations a red flag should smack you in the forehead. when the votes make no sense you can bet money is the root of the problem. In this case “WE” the people have been swindled and we should be very upset. We need a good attorney to take this case to the courts and a good prosecutor to bring the thieves to trial. WILL IT HAPPEN IN THIS DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED STTE??????
All I can say is, if you voted for rail well….you got it!
Against the stupidity of the people there is no cure.
Turn that frown upside down…..rail is here to stay in Hawaii Nei! Open up your wallets, because it’s gonna happen like I call it– the train will drain. And your pocketbooks will be in pain! But have no fear, because the rail is here! In the train we trust, even as the Employee Retirement System goes BUST.
The whole project should be stopped and a special prosecutor called to investigate this catastrophe. I would feel better if some people would be jailed. And what is this insanity of the railcar delivery now? They will just sit and rust for years.
Moofi, Caldwell and the city council should all be sent to jal for perpetuating this financial scam called rail upon us.
Goofy Moofi and Cadwell cost taxpayers $250 million by starting rail prematurely. A quarter billion down the drain due to the pea brain decisions by our leaders.
What crime has been committed by whom?
That would be determined by a special prosecutor
irt;lee1957 only a blind person cannot see the crimes that have been committed since 2006. Back when our feerless leader snake eyes Caldwell was MUFEE DA BULLY’s city director and Auntie Ansaldo was giving out the cash. Nester the chamber boy was just the fall boy like Cachola the real money went to MUFEE, CARLIER and Caldwell & staff. The rigged election and PRP’s witch hunt for both Tom Berg and Ben Cayetano as well as the voting record of our city council all lies, deception and backroom deals that netted Millions to
the city council and city officials.
Public corruption, conflicts of interests and outright bribery of all elected city officials, most democrats in the state legislature and Governor. You’ll find that PRP gave most of them the bulk of their campaign money since rail started.
You guys seem to have all the evidence, why is a special prosecutor needed?
Jailed? You mean like Wall Street bankers were jailed en masse for tanking the American economy in ’08?
Jailed, as in Iceland.
THE REASON FOR RAIL:
I also revised the material to reflect recent discoveries. We found that the nefarious Pacific Resource Partnership supported Carol Fukunaga with $86,000 in advertising for her 2012 election. AND under a different name, they gave Brandon Elefante $105,000 in advertising support. With this money, the percentage of Elefante’s support from the Ho’opili and Rail construction community jumped to 91%. Pretty amazing! He sure wasn’t going to vote against them!
It is interesting, though, and it really is an education on these issues.
Here’s The Friends of Makakilo breakdown on City Council campaign contributions:
Council Member Total Contributions Amount from Hoopili/Rail Interests Percent
Kymberly Pine $160,879 $116,801 72%
Ernie Martin $451,240 $268,017 59%
Ikaika Anderson $139,518 $100,668 72%
Trevor Ozawa $183,320 $104,550 57%
Ann Kobayashi $57,136 $24,450 43%
Carol Fukunaga $258,321 $104,565 40%
Joey Manahan $182,215 $83,512 46%
Brandon Elefante $37,322 $24,292 65%
Ron Menor $48,405 $34,650 72%
The rail cost overruns are but a part of Honolulu’s fiscal status. For those not familiar with government accounting, at the end of each fiscal year, the state and counties publish their Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR’s). These documents are the single-source official reports by which the health of the reporting entities is measured. In recent years the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has issued a series of statements that require governments who provide Other Post Employment Benefit (OPEB) health plans to recognize these long-term obligations as a liability for the first time, and to more comprehensively and comparably measure the annual cost of OPEB benefits. The implementation of GASB’s Statements 68 and 71 resulted in a restatement of $1.2 billion and $152.7 million for governmental and business-type activities, respectively. The bottom line for the City/County is found on page 23 of the FY 2015 CAFR in which it shows the total net position of a minus $933.3 million. Essentially, Honolulu is financially underwater. It is plausible to believe that this is the underlying reason why both Caldwell and Martin are doing the green-apple quickstep over the rails continuing cost overruns. Feel the Bern yet?
Our economy is doing well with very low unemployment. Tourism is up and we have a booming construction economy with new condominiums being built in town. With rich outsiders coming in to invest in second homes in the best place in the world, our tax base is healthy and growing. Since the GE tax is capped, we need to find additional public funds to support needed rail and other community amenities such as the zoo. Our rich tax base can support these needs. Rail helps average locals who live far from downtown who are suffering in traffic. We need to stop panicking and just finish the project.
The numbers don’t lie. Honolulu is under water, Hawaii State is under water, the state hospitals are under water, UH is under water, the convention center and the cancer center are under water, the stadium is under water…should I go on? And thank you for pointing out that this is occurring during a booming economy. Keep in mind that after every boom their is a bust. Feel the Bern yet?
ukuleleblue says: “We need to stop panicking and just finish the project.”
So which tax is it that you want to raise this this time?
All the reason everyone is worried is HART keeps telling us they have a handle on expense and enough tax increases, then they come out of their cave screaming that costs have skyrocketed AGAIN and they were wrong about how much tax money would be enough AGAIN.
If your friends at HART would stop lying and/or being completely incompetent, it would help tremendously, but your solutions to shake your pompoms and give them even more money.
Now, isn’t about time that you finally told us all where it is on the mainland that you live and what your connection is to this mess of a rail project?
No one has a crystal ball on the economy. However, in our present economy, our tax base can afford rail. We hardly feel the GE tax and this is what should been the funding source to rail completion instead of a cap. Maybe now the alternative might have to be an increase in property taxes which are actually very low compared major cities on the mainland. Perhaps high end real estate should warrant a property tax increase to fund rail which benefits the whole community.
We only need to raise the excise to 10%. Only!
Ukuleleblue, our property taxes may be low as compared to major mainland cities as you claim, yet our cost of living and the basic items we purchase to survive are much higher then those mainland cities. Not to mention, the GET surcharge is tapped on to everything from food to medicine causing a larger burden to those on a fixed or limited budget.
Why hasnt Caldwell fired the poorly performing Grabauskas?
Ukuleleblue. Now I know you are not from here because you would know how the tax system works in Hawaii. In all other cities the property tax is attached to the educational budget for the city. Here the GE tax is used to fund the DOE from the general fund. We also have the only state run airport in the United States. You have no clue how funds are allocated or how our tax system works that is why you continue to promote taxing us. You should be ashamed.
Our property taxes are low compared to other states. Yes, that is true but many other states do not tax your personal income and do not tax your food and medicine. Even with our “low” property taxes, Hawaii’s (and Oahu in particular) have one of the heaviest tax burdens in all of the US.
So Ukuleleblue can do his rail propaganda song and dance but I’m not buying it.
That’s true…. our unemployment is reported to be lowest in country – a record.
Uku hardly feels the tax BECAUSE HE LIVES IN CALIFORNIA.
But we also have the highest number of homeless another record.
Which planet do you live on? Our unemployment is low, but most of the jobs are low-wage service industry. The construction jobs are incredibly impermanent, and are nothing to base an economy on. And don’t even use the zoo and the rail line in the same sentence, rail is orders of magnitude more expensive.
S-A is there a way to block seeing comments from an individual?
Careful what you ask for. Plus the shill is good entertainment
Ukulele-Screw the rich outsiders, don’t need them, don’t want them and no the “Rich tax base” is not paying for this, the majority is the middle then lower income tax base. You are one big shibai.
I am completely shocked by this totally unexpected turn of events.
SERIOUSLY?
He’s being sarcastic farky. Drink your coffee and take the meds the doc gave you.
Thank you! It’s something I post when the totally inevitable happens.
shocked is what we are!!!! kinda like the chance the sun will come up in the morning and the sunset will occur daily.
Excuses and more excuses. The rail project started with many negative issues and a projected out of control funding from the start, especially when there were no one capable of having the knowledge of knowing what to expect, in terms of having the available resources to complete the job. The anti-railers have constantly mentioned about the escalating cost and the city slowly being put in a lost predicament…”bankrupt.” Why the heck didn’t the future transit system’s planner foresee challenges presented by utility-pole clearance along the rail route that would drive up costs even more? Just shows how incompetent they are and excuses will be driving this project to go on for the next ten years. And finally, Grabauskas admits that “they’re unhappy, equally frustrated and losing sleep, plus working hard to address what they can affect.” Isn’t too late to be unhappy, frustrated and losing sleep because he doesn’t know if funds will be available to finish the job? As a result, there was never a “champion” to lead and know what the heck to anticipate for the foreseeable future of this expensive and massive project. It’s been all about excuses upon excuses and pleading for more money because really, this project has been and will be a living hell for this city because of incompetent officials trying to bluff their way through this ordeal.
Waiting for “Uku’s” BS comments and as usual, will be putting the blame on the “court delays” for the escalating cost.
Probably the same guy who didn’t map out the route and buying properties until the last minute.
Well said kahuku. Well said. Make too much sense and they’ll start “moderating” you like the Dear Leader.
“St*pid is as st*pid does.” – Forrest Gump. The legacy cladwell, this city council, grabby, horner, et al will leave us is a multi-billion fiasco that will continue to increase the GET and property taxes for Oahu taxpayers. The n*ked emperor cladwell’s claim to have “rehabilitated” the roadways of Oahu is a huge shibai, designed to smokescreen the massive fiscal failure that he, the council, and grabby have wrought. They say doctors bury their mistakes. This blue-b*lled monster cheeky cladwell will successfully add to Oahu’s homeless population as he seeks to maintain this eternal, bloodsucking, grotesque white elephant, making it only habitable to the contractors, developers, and billionaire/millionaires who will live in the cladwell enclave in Kakaako and take over Ala Moana Beach Park for those like him.
Yes, and vote out all council members who supported rail. We need accountability!
Agree, I will never vote for anyone who supports this endless spending for nothing. The train to nowhere needs to stop.
I will vote them out… ” with reservation ” LOL
Dan G. won’t suffer the consequences…he doesn’t live here and will move when the project is pau just like he did after the Big Dig in beantown.
Exactly. He don’t give a rip about us. He’s not going to have to live through the aftermath. He’s going to take his big bag of money and go live elsewhere.
We should fire him now so he can move back to the mainland.
He deserved to be canned long ago
Don’t you understand, He was hired to be the fall guy that takes the blame for mismanagement. They’ve known from the beginning it would cost much more than they are saying. First Mufi says it’s 3.7 billion, then Caldwell says it’s 6.7 billion, before it’s done it will be 10 billion+ without a doubt. Bet on it.
Carpetbagging P O S
STOP PAYING YOURSELVES, GA DAMMET!!
The environmental and economic catastrophe rolls on.
“Utility pole clearances”? Are you kidding me? How can anybody in their right mind plan a 20 mile above ground train route through this islands heavily populated areas and not think about existing utilities? And everyone comes out with the same rubbish about how concerned they are and how frustrated they are and blah, blah, blah… It’s all a crock because the longer this thing goes on the longer everyone involved keeps getting a sizable paycheck. Nobody voted for this.
Just wait until you read/hear that “the pilings” are “out-of-plumb” and they all need to be dug-up and replaced”(“estimated time of completion 2035”; “assuming no Rain”..).
Worst yet, they’ve been using rusted rib-bar forms for the columns that have been exposed to inclement weather as they laid on the dirt for months before it was eventually used. How the heck was this allowed by the inspectors is beyond belief…concrete poured over highly rusted rib-bars. Only in Hawaii.
Speaking of the electric utility, they still haven’t figured out how they are going to provide the power facilities necessary to power the thing. HECO and HART are still battling it out as to who will pay and neither knows how much it will cost. Lovely.
“The future transit system’s planners did not foresee challenges presented by utility-pole clearances along the rail route, which could drive up costs even more.”
Yet all the anti-rail folks did?
Like the HPD hiring outside PR help, just hire OUTSIDE PLANNERS! There….that fixes this boo boo till the next one.
HECO has been hoping for consummation of the NextEra buyout which would improve its financial situation. This might allow for more favorable electrical cost levels for the rail system.
Agree. This is one of many areas where the so called rail expert, Grabby Boy and his HART minions willfully failed in their jobs. How could they have been so utterly incompetent? Must come naturally.
Clearly rail has to pay for their power source. No way should HECO rate payers be stuck with another HECO money pit. So laughable how shoddy our rail baboozes are. No clue about power, no clue about under grounding power lines, no clue about having high ethical and moral values, and no clue what soever about being good stewards of tax payer’s money.
End rail at the Middle Street Bus terminal to save billions, reduce construction time, avoid gridlock for commuters who will be stuck on torn up streets.
Save our children and grandchildren from another financial debacle, reduce the crushing cost or rail’s monthly O&M which is currently estimated between $10-15 million per month.
The big problem with utilities is not the unplanned work. It is the problem with lines not going where dwgs say they should be. You can reroute something that is not documented.
wliki – Sorry but as usual with your posts twice nothing is still nothing. No clue how the real world works. No clue as to what is going on.
Actually it is the unplanned work that is the problem as no one, not Grabby or HART, budgeted for this. They didn’t even know about the problem until it smacked them side the head. Standard for rail minions.
You are just a typical JARP (Just Another Rookie Poster)
HECO is banking that the RUSTING RAIL never gets going so they probably won’t need the electricity to run it.
The reason Next Era wants HECO is TO SELL ELECRICITY TO THE CITY TO RUN RUSTY
Rail needs to be stopped and people prosecuted for falsely pushing this project through. Start investigating the financial of the mayors and council people who pushed rail down the taxpayers pockets to fill their own. See if any foreign bank accounts were opened, new safe deposit boxes open, court order to check out their homes for in house safes and not only stop there but their closely tied family members that could have aided them to hide the cash.
Nah,procecute? Bumby brah, nada.
And probably sewer and water line relocations. They do run under the streets where this monstrosity will be built.
You ain’t seen nothing yet. Watch what happens when start down Dillingham and begin converting from above ground utilities to underground.
YOUR RIGHT! And, then there’s THE BURIAL SITES.., and on, and on, and on… Until as many Politicians have finally filled the coffers of their respective OFF-SHORE-RETIREMENT-FOUNDATIONS…
Clearly the only way to stop the $7-10 billion rail debacle and get it back on budget, on time, is to end at the Middle Street Bus Terminal.
Hard to believe Grabby Boy, for all his supposed rail expertise, didn’t find the HECO power line situation until years into the project. So now we now the real truth why he was fired from the Boston Big Dig debacle. No professional competence at all. Just talk, take the public’s money, do nothing in return.
It is perfectly acceptable to the Feds if we end rail at the MSB Terminal. Contract is open to adjustments when it has become obvious to continue would be a financial disaster to the state. Feds would respect the Nei for admitting it has become an out of control financial money pit due to utterly incompetent rail management from day one. Feds would see the Nei doing what is right.
Stop the money hemorrhaging now. End rail at the Middle Street Bus Terminal. Leave the city streets alone, stop the construction gridlock under grounding would cause, save local businesses from going under. Do it now.
Put that on the ballot and see what the people think.
You can’t put it on the ballot. Hawaii has no initiative process. To get something on the ballot it has to go through the state legislature and if they put a Middle Street option on the ballot it would be admitting they were wrong. Admitting they were wrong about something is the hardest thing for a politician to do, so it’s not going to happen.
No, the only solution is to completely END the rail project and take the 2 BILLION dollar loss. Trying to get it running to Middle Street will cost Oahu taxpayerS 6 BILLION regardless and then taxpayers have to pay HECO or NextEra to build, maintain and pay the electricity form a NEW fossil fuel burning electric generator plant FOREVER.
Ending it would work. However it could cost billions to tear everything down, put it back the way it was, pay off all the contractors according to the contracts they signed, pay back the Feds, and to send Grabby Boy packing. No Golden Parachute for him. Just a Wiki Wiki bus to the airport, one way ticket and gone.
Yes, the loss to Hawaii taxpayers to shut down the rail will cost billions, and they did that on PURPOSE. To continue would cost Hawaii taxpayers 10 BiILLION and 1/2 billion in maintenance, electricity and power generation FOREVER. If anyone thought the Hawaii convention center or UH cancer research center was a never ending money pit, the Oahu rail to nowhere project will dwarf the failure and costs to the point of bankruptcy.
inverse – Actually you forgot the Nei’s two biggest and growing money pits. Union pension/benefits and education/BOE/DOE/HSTA. They are draining us dry.
Who from the Feds has expressed a willingness to end the rail short of Ala Moana? You’re making things up.
I agree. He’s lying.
Nothing for needy kids except what’s in YOUR pantry using YOUR money, wilick-i
The Feds are well aware nothing, nothing goes well in the little 8th world of Hawaii Nei when it comes to the utter incompetence of our elected bureaucrats, city/state government agencies. Well aware how our DoT was warned if they kept hoarding federal funds to look good the federal funds coming to the Nei would stop.
That said, Feds agree the Nei has turned rail into a bigger. willful, debacle to match Boston’s Big Dig to include our huge mistake in hiring one of the main bureaucrats responsible for it, Grabby Boy.
Feds are concerned about the future of our children and grandchildren, not wanting them to be buried under rail’s crushing $10-15 million monthly O&M costs.
Feds are all for the Nei admitting utter incompetence with rail, ok to stop at either Aloha Stadium or the Middle Street Bus Station. Saving the Nei billions.
Feds can’t understand why the Nei still wants to take rail to a shopping center of all places.
Time to vote out Caldwelll and all politiicans who supported this boondoggle. The cost overruns are not over. They haven’t added in the power source for the rail and AFTER the ridership projections fall short, taxpayers will be on the hook to cover those shortfalls forever.
Problem is, all the politicians who supported this boondoggle will be running against Caldwell.
Caldwell has been doing an outstanding job… He deserves another term as mayor.
WILIKI??? ARE YOU CALDWELL???????
Just ignore wiliki. He’s either lolo or he’s lying. He made the claim on this very thread that rail is already paid for,
wiliki is weak of mind, easily swayed by what ever they read, especially in coloring book format. Has all the ones HART sent out a long time ago, still trying to color them all in.
HART intends to bleed us dry and our leaders are letting them. Time to clean house.
No one knows the final cost yet so it’s time to consider stopping at middle street bus depot. When can we get some Common Sense ?
Like as with all investments. Some go bad. Sell and cut your loss. Stop @ Middle st.
SA censors hard at work this morning folks. No swear words, no personal attacks, no nothing and comment goes to moderation. Let the communist SA take over we living in North Korea folks.
Truth is the SA has no moderation. A shoddy algorithm created by the homeless scans each posts and flags simple words, multiple hyperlinks, all the unimportant areas. No real person ever actually reviews, approves, reposts any falsely flagged posts.
Easily beaten by s p a c i n g words out or other similar tricks.
The political careers of these politicians who supported rail hopefully comes to an end legally or by being voted out.
If they are re-elected, shame on the voting public to allow such a financial massacre to continue with such people in office.
Question about the number of lanes going west on Kamehameha Highway from Pearl City to Aiea. In some areas of that stretch the pillars of the railway constructed are built that the roadway going west will have space for only 2 lanes. Have a government official who is overseeing this respond to how this will not be so.
Only two lanes and along the entire route 64 left turns will be eliminated because drivers cannot see oncoming cars due to pilings. People will NEVER travel along Kam Highway in Pearl City or Farrington in Waipahu because those lanes were already crowded before rail. Nothing matters to the city but enriching developers and contractors and political contributors – the public can take a hike as far as Cadwell is concerned. And it looks like c-r-a-p.
Told you so – Much more to come
Fire Ernie… he’s playing politics with rail. He should not delay, delay, delay…
Fire Kirk
Fire wi-lick-I and ukulele-B*S
The walking dead are back eating body parts off taxpayers. Why not hire more political figures to oversee things and get the budget right. Oops. Tried that. Put a cap on it. Oops tried that. Raise property taxes. Oops tried that. How about firing everyone, including Grabby, recall the mayor, bring back Cayetano. Haven’t tried that. But no, they’re going to come back to us and raid my pension, because that’s all we’re going to have left after my home is seized for back taxes. Amateur planners. The EIS I used to do was a 3+ inch book that took years of forward planning. Not the flimsy stuff in their website. I and my staff would have been fired for handing in that kind of thing. Loosers.
Fire Ernie…. he’s delaying rail.
Fire Kirk first, he promised to build rail on time and on budget and build it better.
Then you can fire Ernie.
Ernesto Martino won by 40 votes over JOHN WHITE for that council seat. Martin0 wants to be Mayor? OMG, no way.
The majority of us has come to realize that the rail will not stop the traffic woes going out to the Leeward area of Oahu.
Thus what major planning is being sought to solve this problem if any. If none is in the works it will make traffic only worse not only in the Leeward area but the areas of the one and only highway going through Honolulu.
Addressing the Leeward traffic the only way to create better traffic flow is the need of a highway above or under Pearl Harbor. Mind you it does not need to go through the military base of Pearl Harbor. It can be built close to the shoreline of the harbor from the Aiea to Pearl City and then going through the Pearl City penninsula through west or east loch.
This will only be good for afternoon traffic going west and do a little good for morning traffic until traffic hits the via duct area. To make the via duct able to continue a smooth flow of traffic the extension of the via duct needs to be built to Atkinson Blvd. There should only be 2 on or off ramps, one being by River Street and the other being by the Federal Building. Thus traffic will have two main flows into the downtown, Kapiolani and the start of going into Waikiki. What this does is allow the highway from Fort Shafter to the University of Hawaii area to have less traffic flow. In addition when there is an accident on one of these highways it gives people an alternative route.
The biggest blunder of the rail was not to have had it built in the Kalihi to Kaimuki area first. The train to go around in an oval path going east through Dillingham to King Street to Kapiolani to Kuhio to Kapahulu. Going west the rail to go through the University area to King on to Beretania, to School Street to Middle Street.
With a big rail station with abundant parking with commercial business to be operated at stations on both ends. With the pricing right many people from the suburbs will park and ride to get into the metropolis of Honolulu and Waikiki. These stations will also be a means for people to eat or shop or take in a movie at these rail station complexes.
Many condominium residents may use the rail than using their cars to commute in an around the metropolis area for work or pleasure. Meaning less traffic by these residents and allowing vehicle traffic better flow into the metropolis areas.
Sure this will cost money but money would have been spent wisely and solving needs that would have positive affects for the people and their current and future traffic problems.
Thirty years of studies and consultants have shown that cars and buses are not the solution. Only rail works.
Really you are just so full of it. So why don’t you put out your estimated driving time projecting some probable effects that rail will accomplish to ease rush hour traffic. How much time will it save people driving to rush hour traffic? How many vehicles in percentage would rail take off our rush hour traffic?
wiliki says cars and buses are not the solution. Right, because we asked that question of people who wanted to build the rail. It really is an out of control boondoggle. I think we are still scratching the surface with the cost overruns and budget deficits.
the man is a city engineer who has very limited skills. As jackas$ Caldwell’s right hand kleenex man he is protected with our taxpayer monies
wiliki is to be excused for his shibai posts as he has never left the Nei, never seen the real world off island.
wiliki would be shocked to know in Japan, buses tie in to all their rail stops. Get off rail, bus will whisk you to your work site, then reverse at the end of the day. Taxi service is lined up read to go. Rail stations also have massive bicycle parking lots.
Fact is the Japanese have the world’s most efficient travel system. Their rail cars load and unload easily, no rows of space wasting seats to slow your progress.
Just another day in the backwards Nei.
But why would we want to refulate traffic flow? Unlimited vehicles means more money to the government in the form of vehicle weight taxes, registration fees, safety check fees. etc, We need more vehicles in order to let the companies that fix these roads make milions for repairs and resiurfacings. It is all a wonderful cycle of miney flowing out of taxpayers pockets and into the hands of government and the private sector, Why would we want to disrupt that by limiting the number of vehicles in Hawaii?
So, costs are up but not enough to stop turning a blind eye to the State’s skimming of MILLIONS. When the city gets that back – THEN we’ll know they’re serious about cost containment.
WWPD? (What would Panos do?)
If I am elected Mayor I promise to build rail the right way on time and on budget, well mister Mayor you got elected and you failed. Time to vote lying Kirk out of office.
Caldwell is doing an outstanding job. Fire Ernie who doesn’t support rail.
Fire wiliki and ukuleleblue
A. M. E. N!!
wiliki – Wrong again. Man has one and only one priority. Take care of #1 and get re elected. Everything else is behind him.
Little Dan Horner sat in a corner,
Throwing rail dollars away.
Along came Grabauskas who’s tallying the losses,
And the public has nothing to say.
Alright!
Feels like we got the old “bait and switch”. “It will only cost you this much. Oh, and then we will have this additional small cost. Oh, and you will also need _____. By the way, we didn’t realize this, so you’ll also have to pay $$$ for ______.” And on and on it goes. Can anyone show a financially successful rail system in a population base of our size. I don’t think so. We just don’t have enough people to make it work money-wise. Best to stop it now and take the hit rather than finishing any part of it and passing ever-increasing costs on to our keiki.
Rail was doomed to cost at least 4 times its original $3.7 BILLION estimate from the start. Probably going cost more than $20 BILLION before it is pau all the way to Ala Moana Center.
“HART is slated to receive the first of those bid proposals later this week, but the public won’t know the details until after the agency evaluates the proposals and awards the contract.” In other words, we are going to keep ramming this train down your throats whether we have the money or not. Why not evaluate the bids before signing a contract? When one builds a home he must get bids then decide whether to build or not to build.
Without any scrutiny by any elected body, HART continues to intentionally mislead the public about the costs for rail. HART is not telling us the truth about he annual operation and maintenance costs – over 130 million dollars per year – forever. They will need to raise either the property tax or GET tax to accumulate this money – we do not have it now. HART continues to intentionally mislead the public about the need to raise the bus fare because of rail. HART continues to intentionally mislead the public about the hazards they and the FTA are aware of when it comes to building downtown – they both agree building downtown will go over any bid my millions – ground water, Kapuna Iwi, hazardous waste, moving utilities etc. Finally, HART continues to lie to the public on their website about how rail will effect traffic congestion.
The Feds need to audit the Oahu rail project the way they audited the Hawaii Health Connector and then SHUT IT DOWN by withdrawing Federal rail money and forcing the useless , b s Oahu rail project to be shut down once and for all. They also need to prosecute people the way they tried and convicted Albert Hee
Grabby & HART are actually estimating rail’s monthly O&M costs between $10-15 million per month for the first year or two, then it will climb 10-15% or more per year.
They use the low end, $10 million per month/ $120 million per year as their low ball estimate. In the coming years rail’s O&M will reach $250 million per year.
Remember. Rail riders will only pay 30% or less of O&M costs. Tax payers are fully on the hook for the other 70% or more.
If all the suckers of rail get voted out of office….will that stop the rail ??
The people who voted for it should volunteer to donate half of their paycheck. That would be a responsible act.
Rail again in deficit danger zone.
SURPRISE !
This RAIL phenomenon is like a moving target. Difficult to plan, almost impossible to predict (costs), with Dan Grabauskas having,
“Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads,”. Literally.
As the law-makers propose a measly .5% general excise tax surcharge extension – rail officials testified it would “likely”
provide the funds they needed to finish the project — with hundreds of millions of dollars to spare. OMG!
The way to control costs is to have a ‘fixed’ price control of the whole project. With Contracting UNIONS in there doing the bidding –
makes it impossible to predict costs.
As an after-thought system planners are only NOW looking at utility-pole clearances which will drive up costs. As planners were deciding
the best route shouldn’t that have been a factor in the early planning?
Rather than a proactive approach to Planning it’s more reactive followed by, “We need more money……”.
Yes. The “best route” evaluation has many things to look at. Some depend on technology. We didn’t give serious attention to other systems, only an elevated steel on steel system. We could have laid out technology, costs, routes and overall system plan before we committed serious money. What we need is a “T” that includes Wahiawa to Pearl City or Halawa, all the way to Hawaii Kai. And then think how to serve windward. Not that feasible with steel on steel.
Remember………….there is no finish line.
Bill Gates has 81 Billion dollars…………ask him to save the day?
Gates would never waste his money on a corrupt govenment project that benefits only connected special interest. That is why he is spending his billions on a charitable foundation. The ONLY people who can ‘fix’ this project by ending it is for the public to stop behaving like Gruber zombies and stop falling for the BS the mayah and others are saying to the public and to STOP voting them back into office. It was also help,if the Repub break free from the religious fanatics and start providimg decent camdidates that are sensitive to union employees but want to govern on sound fiscal principles, limited gov’t and not just total union plants. Also these new Hawaii Repub candidates need to end their total obsession of ending same sex marriages, making abortion illegal and eliminate required immunizations.
This is a robbery. Just give us all your money and assets and assign your paycheck to HART.
Hawaii is nothing more than the Simpsons monorail episode come to life
WAKE UP HONOLULU AS THE CITIZENS ARE BEING RAPED BY OUR OWN CITY COUNCIL AND MAYORS OFFICE
I read one of the Hawaii rail article a while back that the rail tax money coming in, the State has took out 150 million dollars for their general fund. If this is true, people we need to remove these tax addicted Democrats in the State legislature.
They have totally mismanaged money that is for the rail for their pet projects I presumed when it goes into their general fund.
Look at the Hurricane fund that was funded by homeowners like myself, it’s all been depleted by the Democrats. They took it to balance their State budget.
There has to be common sense even among Democrat voters. It’s one thing to be a loyal Democrat and not see the greediness of the State control Democrats in the legislature. Try the other political party (Republicans) instead.
Agreed. We need at least some balance in the legislature. If not, why not downsize the legislature by 50%? What difference would it make in the outcome of the legislative sessions? Seriously.
i say cut our losses and turn it into an bike path. Build more roads and freeways
Rail is a total waste of money! Who plans to ride it? The people who ride the bus! Where the money gonna come from to maintain it? Look that the zipper mobiles run down non maintianed! That is the future of rail! Freeway from ewa to airport would have been cheaper. Or even one way during traffic hours from ewa to ford island . I would pay a toll fee to pay for it!
There are solutions to traffic that would be so much cheaper and faster to implement that the city refuses to do.
1. Synchronize our traffic lights. The lights are poorly designed so you never have a good flow to traffic.
2. Lessen the number of on and off ramps on the freeway. These are major bottlenecks.
3. Use money to obtain land and widen the freeways or build overpasses to alleviate bottleneck areas. an extra two lanes by the Waikele area of the freeway would make a HUGE difference in afternoon traffic.
4. Crackdown on vehicles with no insurance or no registration. Make slightly bigger stickers for both so they can easily be identified and inpound cars that do not comply.
5. Build an expressway over the existing Nimitz highway so cars going to downtown or beyond don’t have to stop at all the side roads along the way. (This is where traffic light synchronization really sucks too).
6. Get more courses offered at UH West Oahu so less people need to go to Manoa.
And my last thought, we could have built light rail like the one at Pearlridge at a fraction of the cost of heavy rail steel on steell.
Excellent traffic solutions Keolu! It would also help if the timing of those intersecting side-street traffic lights were almost equal to that of the main streets; esp. during peak traffic hours, since now there are just as many cars using those side streets as are using the main roads. And yes, a LIGHT RAIL System would be better suited to Hawaii – more aesthetically pleasing, nicer size & weight (massive tonnage won’t sink our ISLAND), greater maneuverability in our smaller land area, much more reasonable costs to build & repair. Sometimes it seems like Hawaii’s politicians think more like preschool kids – “Bigger/More Is Better!” 😛
Caldwell=crooked liar. Too bad so many dummies voted for him. Get this guy out of office.
`+`+`
Attention suckers: Caldwell lied. Big surprise.