Honolulu Rail Transit Will Save Hawaii's Economy

Honolulu, Hawaii- As the groundbreaking for Honolulu Train gets closer; locals here can expect and estimated 11,000 jobs from construction and related industries, as well as from Transit-oriented business and developments.

The project which will kick in by December 2009 is expected to attract new investments that can create jobs, generate taxes and revenues for the currently financially distressed Hawaii.

Construction costs are estimated at about $5.4 billion dollars, which will be funded from 12.5 % hike in the State General Excise and Use tax, and some from Federal funds.

Brief Overview:

The project is a 20-mile elevated rail system that will connect West Oahu with the Honolulu, International Airport, the downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana.

The system is capable of carrying more than 300 passengers each and features electric, steel-wheel trains.

Rail line will be above the ground, with the trains traveling an average of 30 to 40 feet above the road.

Route:

Transit stations will feature five park-and-ride facilities along the initial 20-mile route, and will be served by express and local feeder buses from neighboring suburbs and communities.

The first line will run from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, with stops including UH (University of Hawaii) West O'ahu, Waipahu, Leeward Community College, Pearl City, Pearlridge, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu International Airport, Kalihi, Honolulu Community College, Downtown, and Kaka'ako.

And, expansions will include service to Salt Lake, UH Manoa, Waikiki, and Kalaeloa.

Hours:

Every 3 minutes on rush hours in the morning, from 6:00 to 9:00 A.M. Also, every 3 minutes on rush hour afternoon, from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. And every 6 minutes during mid days and every 10 minutes at night.

Speed:

Speed will be set to a maximum of 55 aand average of 30 mph.

Projected schedule for the rail transit is as follows:

• Completion of Final Environmental Impact Study - late summer 2009
• Groundbreaking and start of construction - late 2009
• First segment completed - 2012
• Segments opened on completion - 2012 to 2017
• Completion of 20-mile route from Kapolei to Ala Moana - 2019
• Extensions to Waikiki, UH Manoa, and Kalaeloa will be built pending future funding.

More than the benefits of traffic decongestion, in which it is expected to reduce large number of vehicles regularly passing at those critical pinch points of the trail stations from Kapolei to Ala Moana, is the economy advantage that comes along with it- while it provides locals with a reliable and affordable mass transportation, it will create thousands and thousand jobs and will continually broaden avenues for job seekers and investors.

According to the Dollars & Sense: The Economic Case for Public Transportation in America (an APTA's report), "in every dollar taxpayers invest in public transportation generates $6 or more in economic returns."

It will definitely ease commute times; parking pressures at the same time enable us to save on petroleum gas consumption. Not to mention the huge savings from its operational cost of $68M compared to TheBus' operations' cost of $180M per year, an estimated difference of $112M annually.

With those, I don't think we can go wrong. So, let's fingers cross and let's hope for the best!