Honolulu City and County Mayor Mufi Hannemann will get his wish at the end of the year: The city will break ground and begin building the first 6.5 miles of its 20-mile system stretching from East Kapoli to Ala Moana Center, Honolulu's largest shopping mall ["City Rail," Trains October 2008]. Service for the first segment is slated to begin in 2012, and final completion in 2018. They chose an elevated system, since they want to avoid any road traffic congestion which exists already.
This month, residents are swarming workshops to be involved in the design of the first six stations to be built. In Waipahu, the stations will be at West Loch and the Waipahu Transit Center; in West O‘ahu, the stations will be built in East Kapolei, at UH West O‘ahu and at the planned Ho‘opili complex; and on the Leeward Community College Campus. The workshops enable residents to be a part of designing the lobby and plaza, landscaping, etc. A design team will then meld the ideas and present sketches and models later this summer.
If you're planning a trip to Hawaii down the road, you should experience better mobility. The ultimate goal is to build a spur to Honolulu International Airport, which has 58,000 people arriving and departing daily. I've not been to Hawaii, but this may be a good excuse — although sun, sand, and a piña colada don't sound too shabby either!
Angela Pusztai-Pasternak • Assistant Editor • Trains Magazine
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