Coverage of transportation issues in Hawaii, including the Honolulu Rail Transit Project.
While officials have often said that low pay and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a severe shortage of bus drivers for Hawaii public schools, a top official at the state Department of Education says the “No. 1 reason” drivers are leaving their jobs in droves actually is student misbehavior. Read more
Police said it appears speed may be a factor in the crash Read more
Honolulu sold $271 million in general obligation bonds this week to subsidize its 2024 capital improvement program as well as the ongoing construction of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s rail project, the city announced Thursday. Read more
When parent complaints and questions began pouring into state Rep. Trish La Chica’s office about the state suspending bus routes at 14 Hawaii public schools two weeks before school started, she says she felt frustrated that she had few immediate answers or solutions to offer. Read more
Honolulu plans to sell $257.1 million in general obligation bonds to subsidize its 2024 capital improvement program as well as the ongoing construction of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s rail project. Read more
The Honolulu Department of Transportation Services has been awarded $25 million in federal funding toward construction of the planned Ala Wai pedestrian bridge, the city announced Thursday. Read more
The Honolulu Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend rezoning 227 acres around Skyline’s Halawa station to allow for more development of mixed-use business, residential and affordable housing sites near the state’s planned New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. Read more
The Honolulu Planning Commission is being asked to rezone 227 acres around Skyline’s Halawa station to allow for mixed-use development and affordable housing sites near what will become the state’s New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. Read more
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Rail ridership aboard the city’s new Skyline rail system continued to fall in its third week of operation, according to the city. Read more
The board is pressing Skyline’s executive director for more financial information about ongoing construction and questioning why the board was not made fully aware of a $99 million lawsuit filed by a contractor. Read more
After receiving no objections from the city, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s plan to condemn one family’s industrially zoned property in Kalihi can now move forward in order to complete the nearly $10 billion rail line as designed. Read more
The number of passengers paying to ride the Skyline rail system for the initial five days after free fares ended July 4 has leaped to 18,329 from 8,127 because passengers who transferred from TheBus were not originally counted as train riders, the city Department of Transportation Services said Monday. Read more
The first day of paid rail ridership saw a drop in interest, as expected, with only 1,245 passengers boarding Skyline trains. Read more
Wednesday’s ridership numbers represented a steep contrast to the 8,952 passengers who packed trains for the inaugural four hours of free service on Friday. Read more
More than 71,000 passengers boarded the city’s new Skyline rail system over the initial five days of free rides — with the first full day of paid rides expected to provide the first real indication of how much interest people have in riding rail’s initial 11 miles. Read more
Question: How often are the Skyline train cars cleaned? Read more
City officials in a Q&A with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said they believe the rail to be a safe and economical mode of transportation for riders of all ages, including children. Read more
A loud cheer erupted when the first of more than 200 passengers were finally let into the Halawa Station, located across Salt Lake Boulevard from Aloha Stadium. Read more
A grand opening ceremony kicks off this morning at the Halawa station next to the Aloha Stadium. Read more
Opening the city’s rail project for passenger service seemed a near impossibility just 2-1/2 years ago when it was digging a deeper financial hole and federal transit officials had lost faith and were withholding millions of dollars in badly needed funding. Read more
