A new mismatch problem has been discovered between train wheels and train tracks along the city’s troubled rail project.
The gap between rail tracks is too narrow by less than one-eighth of an inch leading into at least five spots where the trains cross onto different tracks.
The problem was just discovered on track that was laid in 2015, Lori Kahikina, CEO and executive director of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, told the HART board Friday.
It’s a different problem from the current plan to fix the “double crossover” frogs themselves where the width of the frogs is too wide by half an inch, by closing the gap through specialized welding work.
“It is a surprise that it is separate and different from what we’ve been talking about: the welding and the wheels and so forth and so on,” HART board Chair Colleen Hanabusa said.
The new problem was discovered along 500 feet of rail track leading into at least five frogs, where the tracks are too narrow by one-eighth of an inch.
The entire 20.2-mile route from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center is expected to have 12 frogs overall, and seven already have been installed, with problems discovered at five of them between East Kapolei and Aloha Stadium, Kahikina said.
“This could potentially affect all of them,” she said. “We don’t know the extent of the issue.”
There are two main ideas to fix the mismatch, including unbolting the track that leads into the frogs and then “(sliding) them over slightly,” then re-bolting the track — a process that could take weeks, Kahikina said.
Another idea would be to cut the problematic track, reweld and retest in a process that could take months and potentially cost “a couple thousand per cut,” she said.
Kahikina told the board she had little other information.
“In the spirit of being open, honest and transparent, I don’t have all of the answers,” she said. “We are still trying to determine the root cause of this issue. We are still trying to determine the appropriate solution to address this tight-gage issue. … It’s still very fresh. … This is as much as I know at this point.”
Asked by board member Anthony Aalto about the possibility of a derailment, Kahikina said the trains and tracks had been undergoing testing before the latest mismatch was discovered.
But, Kahikina said, “Worst-case scenario, there could be a derailment,” but “there hasn’t been an issue.”
Board member Jade Butay, director of the state Department of Transportation, asked Kahikina how the problem was just discovered when the track was installed years ago.
“It could be all the way back from the design to the manufacture to the installation … and our own inspection,” Kahikina said. “Right now the main focus is, What is the extent of the issue, and how can we fix it? … Why wasn’t this found sooner? Very good question, and we’re asking the same thing.”
Hanabusa then took the board meeting into executive session to discuss settling a claim by The Associated Press after HART used an AP photo on its website without authorization. AP asked HART to remove the photo and compensate AP $225 for using it.
The executive session represented the second consecutive time that HART board member Natalie Iwasa, a certified public accountant and certified fraud examiner, was denied participation because she is one of two board holdouts who have not signed a new confidentiality agreement that Hanabusa wants.
The attorney general has issued an opinion that the HART board has no legal authority to treat Iwasa and three other board members appointed by the Legislature differently and require them to sign confidentiality agreements. The city’s Department of the Corporation Counsel disagrees.
Before being excluded from Friday’s executive session, Iwasa said, “Just for the record, I’d like to note that there is a discrepancy, a significant difference in point of view … at the AG level and the city corporation counsel level (over) the treatment of the state appointees who haven’t signed the confidentiality agreement. And so I hope that that will be worked through soon so that those who haven’t signed that agreement can participate in the executive sessions.”
Iwasa was appointed to the board by House Speaker Scott Saiki. She and board member Jeoffrey S. Cudiamat, who was appointed by Senate President Ron Kouchi, remain the lone holdouts to signing the confidentiality agreement.
Hanabusa responded to Iwasa, “I’m under the impression that Jeoffrey will be signing the confidentiality agreement. … But, yes, I do hope that we do have a resolution on this. It’s in the hands of the attorneys. … Everyone benefits when we have full participation.”
Following the executive session, Hanabusa announced that HART will reimburse the AP the $225 it sought.
